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Transcript

A Jury of Her Peers

By Susan Glaspell

Presented by: Nayeli Flores, Luisa Lopez, Christian Guillen

Major Characters

Characters

  • Minnie Wright- The woman accused of killing her husband by strangling him in his sleep, she is held at the jail through the course of the story.
  • John Wright- The murdered man, husband of Minnie Wright
  • Martha Hale- Wife of Mr. Hale and resident to the nearest farm to the Wrights' home.
  • Lewis Hale- A middle-aged local farmer who visited the Wrights' home and discovered Minnie calmly pleating her apron as her husband lay murdered in his bed.
  • Mrs.Peters- The wife of the sheriff who, in Mrs. Hale's mind, does not look the part because she is "small and thin"

Minor Characters

Minor Characters

  • George Henderson- A young man who holds the position of county attorney who is looking at the investigation of John Wright's murder.
  • Henry Peters- A middle-aged man who is the local sheriff.

Martha Hale leaves her kitchen a mess as her husband hurries her to join everyone outside. Mr. and Mrs. Hale, the county attorney, and the local sheriff and his wife head over to a neighboring farmhouse. Upon arriving,Mr. Henderson the local sheriff asks Mr. Hale to tell his story of what happened the day before. Mr. Hale explains how he stopped by to ask again if he could install a telephone line. When he entered the house, Minnie Wright was sitting in her rocking chair. Mr. Hale asked for Mr. Wright and she said he couldn't speak to him because he was dead.

Summary

Summary (cont.)

Mr. Hale saw Mr. Wright strangled to death and Minnie is held at the jail. The same people at the farmhouse search for any clues around the house. The women find clues like the quilt and the fruit jars that the men would not have noticed. The women then get Minnie's sewing material and come across a dead bird, strangled to death. After gathering all the clues, the women discovered how and why she killed her husband.

Canary

Symbols

The canary provides Mrs. Wright music, joy, and company. The canary also symbolizes young Minnie as she was lively with a bright personality. The loss of the bird represents the death of her own essence.

Fruit Jars

Fruit Jars

Her concern for the fruit jars shows she wants to do her job as a wife and housekeeper correctly as she is used to men having power over their wives.

Quilt

The Quilt

The quilting style "knotting" signifies the way Mrs. Wright killed her husband, tying a rope around his neck.

The Dead Bird

Dead Bird

The dead bird found shows Minnie's guilt and the way her husband treated her throughout their marriage. Even though her husband literally strangled the bird, she was figuratively strangled and trapped by her husband in their marriage.

Kitchen

Kitchen

The kitchen holds all the clues for the crime that only Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters notice since the kitchen is invisible to men. It shows how men think the kitchen isn't a place for them, only for women.

Gender Roles

Themes

Mrs. Wright and Mrs.Hale are described as housekeepers. Their roles strictly include the responsibilities around the house, especially the kitchen. Men could roam free and have each other's company while women are expected to stay home cooking and cleaning and be a good wife. Women lose their own interests and even themselves when married. Men can still have their freedom and interest while woman cannot. As soon as the woman takes her husband's name, it's expected to be defined by her husband's identity.

Male obliviousness to women's importance.

Male Obliviousness to Women's Importance

Throughout the story, the men are the ones in search for evidence and don't expect the women to find any evidence. They tease Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters for searching in the kitchen. Ironically, the women are the ones who solve the crime and find out why Mrs. Wright killed her husband. Men were blind to those clues since they believe the kitchen is a place for only their wives and because they don't see the need to consider the woman's opinion or potential.

  • Who do you feel is the protagonist in the story and why?
  • What do Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters do for Minnie at the end?

Discussion Questions

  • How is this story iconic?
  • Why is Minnie being accused of murdering her husband?
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