Women In Susan Glaspell's A Jury Of Her Peers

The short story, “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, sets out to provide insight as to how women were treated in early twentieth century society, moreover, to demonstrate how this treatment of women could push them to commit murder. The idea of inferiority was heavily present within this era’s society being that women were not seen as equal to their male counterparts. This time period was rich with feminist movements and overall the attempt of women to rise against their male oppressors. The presence of this gender inequality in the short story is what ultimately drives the women to defend the convicted Mrs. Wright. Although Mrs. Wright is accused of murder, she is in some sense pardoned by the other women because they can truly empathize

with one another’s societal and romantic struggles. This empathy brings about the development of something crucial in the advancement of women in society, a strong sisterhood. Alongside this is the fact that topics such as divorce and separation were not present within this time period. Women who were being mistreated or abused by their husbands could feel extremely trapped and detached from society which could in turn explain why they would choose to murder their partners to gain some sense of freedom or relief. Mrs. Wright’s crime can be seen as her attempt to escape her husband’s abusive ways which could explain why the other women were empathetic and so quick to protect her. The short story, “A Jury of Her Peers” proves how the early twentieth century male dominated setting and the presence of female mistreatment in relationships, much like in Mrs. Wright’s marriage, could drive her and other women to commit murder to gain a sense of relief.
Throughout the course of history, women have always fallen victim to invisible masculinity, which is based off of the idea of male power or male superiority (Kiminel 30). “Masculinities are constructed in a field of power: 1) the power of men over women; 2) the power of some men over other men” (Kiminel 30). This belief that men must be superior and in some sense assert their power and manliness upon the women in their lives is what ultimately created the distinct divide between genders. Even though separate genders roles have always been present throughout history, this distinction between genders is extremely present in the early twentieth century setting of the short story, “A Jury of Her Peers.”
The women in the short story encounter this idea of gender division and male superiority in their day to day lives.

During this time period, “women’s roles in society were narrowly defined and few women were employed outside the home. Most of the women who were employed worked as nannies or maids, simply an extension of their role in the home” (Miller, 459). The women in the story appear to be housewives who merely stick by their husband’s sides. This supports the idea that women should be in the house and not lead any sort of productive life outside of the household. The men were the ones responsible for bringing in the money and keeping the family intact. In the story, Mrs. Peters is referred to as being the “sheriff’s wife” (Glaspell 49). This makes it seem as if Mrs. Peters has no true value in society aside from the fact that she is the wife of the sheriff. She in some sense acquires power and position through her husband’s career. The idea of women belonging in the household is solidified in the text when Mr. Hale says, “Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?” (Glaspell 54) when referring to Mrs. Wright and her kitchen. Mr. Hale does not stray far from the quite typical superior mentality of males as he sees women as only being in charge of domestic duties such as cleaning and ensuring that the house is in order. Prior to 1920, when the 19th amendment was adopted granting women the right to vote, women were not allowed to have virtually any

extensive part in decision making in society which angered them greatly (Dodd 711).
Male superiority is highlighted in the text when Mr. Peters begins to laugh and says, “Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder, and worrying about her preserves!” (Glaspell 53). The mere fact that Mr. Peters even says “beat the women” shows how low females are in the eyes of their male counterparts, making it seem as if men are entitled to beat the women in their lives. It is as if he is mocking the women and saying that they worry about useless things in an attempt to suggest their ignorance to the larger situation being addressed. This idea of female ignorance also comes about when Mr. Hale says, “But would the women know a clue if they did come upon it?” (Glaspell 55). Mr. Hale tries to imply that the women are not bright enough to understand anything that they could possibly encounter throughout the course of the investigation. However, this is proven later on in the story to be quite the opposite as the women do in fact interpret the evidence they find to make a final decision. Although the presence of this invisible masculinity (Kiminel 30) seems extremely inevitable in the early twentieth century setting of “A Jury of Her Peers,” the development of sisterhoods and strong female relationships aided women in overcoming this negative force.
Strong sisterhoods are clearly depicted in “A Jury of Her Peers.” When the women are initially questioned about their relationships with Mrs.

Wright, they seem to stray away from the conversation and say things about their male counterparts such as, “Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be” (Glaspell 54). This in some sense triggers a chain reaction and causes Mrs. Hale’s husband to say, “Ah, loyal to your sex, I see” (Glaspell 54). This solidifies the idea that the women banded together and looked out for one another because they felt that they could genuinely understand each other and even empathize. Towards the end of the story when the women begin to discuss all of the evidence they encountered Mrs. Hale

says,
“I might ‘a’ known she needed help! I tell you, it’s queer, Mrs. Peters. We live close together, and we live far apart. We all go through the same things - it’s all just a different kind of the same thing! If it weren’t - why do you and I know - what we know this minute?” (Glaspell 62).
When Mrs. Hale says “we all go through the same things – it’s all just a different kind of the same thing!” (Glaspell 62), it is evident that she feels that all the women can relate on multiple levels. All of the women are going through the same exact things, the only difference is that these similarities take different forms. She ends off by saying “If it weren’t – why do you and I know – what we know this minute?” (Glaspell 62) which implies that the women are able to understand all of the facts of the case because they can truly relate and emphasize.
This bond between the women is also highlighted when they discuss quite minor details. For example, when they discuss the fruit they say, “She’ll feel awful bad, after all the hard work in the hot weather. I remember the afternoon I put up my cherries last summer” (Glaspell, 55). This shows that the understanding between these women goes far beyond empathizing with one another’s marital relationships and societal issues but extends to smaller things like fruits that seem quite unimportant to their male counterparts.
Ultimately, it seems that this understanding between the women is what leads them to covering up Mrs. Wright’s tracks. Although they discover that she did in fact murder her husband, they were determined to ensure that she not take the fall for the murder. The women acquire the role of a de facto jury and work together in order to determine Mrs. Wright’s fate. By definition, “American juries were instructed that after hearing the evidence, they had the right both to decide the facts of the case and interpret the meaning of the law, regardless of what the judge told them” (Hans and Vidmar 37). The women in the story take into account all of the evidence they encounter and then come together to decide whether or not Mrs. Wright should be accused. Since all these women were living in the same twentieth century society and were all experiencing the same male oppression, they understood why Mrs. Wright would have murdered her husband. The development of the idea of empathy or rather the genuine understanding of one another’s hardships in society, is how they ultimately justify their actions. Though they might not have necessarily agreed with her actions, they were able to understand why she ultimately murdered her husband. The fact that they could emotionally relate to Mrs. Wright and put themselves in her shoes, made the decision a much simpler one and pointed them down the route they went down. Though these women might have not been considerably close friends, the development of this strong sisterhood is what grants Mrs. Wright redemption in the eyes of her peers. The women used their commonalties to band together and help Mrs. Wright out when she needed it most.
Mrs. Wright, the accused murderer, is described as being in quite an abusive relationship. Not a particularly physically abusive one but rather an emotionally and mentally abusive and draining relationship. Her relationship with her late husband seems to have taken its toll on her and caused a noticeable change in her character. Mr. Wright is described by the women as being, “a hard man, Mrs. Peters. Just to pass the time of day with him” (Glaspell 60). They also say, “But I don’t think a place would be any the cheerfuler for John Wright’s bein’ in it” (Glaspell 54) which portrays Mr. Wright as being quite a harsh man and not bringing much happiness to the household. The women seem to reminisce of the times when Mrs. Wright was much happier and even more alive. They say, “She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively- when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls, singing in the choir. But that-oh, that was twenty years ago” (Glaspell 56). It is clear that Mrs. Wright’s relationship with her husband has drained her of who she used to be. She is now much more isolated and withdrawn from the outside world. The other women seem to notice this and they empathize with her, being that they are all living in the same male dominated society.