A Jury Of Her Peers: A Character Analysis

James McMasters English 112 October 17, 2000 A JURY OF HER PEERS - A CHARACTER
ANALYSIS BY SUSAN GLASPELL As in the case of most, if not all, good allegorical stories, the
primary impact of the tale is strongly influenced by the authors detailed characterization of the
setting, as well as the characters feelings and passions. Certainly such is the case in Susan
Glaspells story A Jury of Her Peers. Here we see a richness of characterization and setting that
is elusive at first reading, but becomes clearer as the story evolves. In the final analysis, it
becomes clear just who the jury is and the outcome of their collective verdict. It is by the use of
allegorical and metaphorical rhetoric that the tension of the story is maintained so very well.
Initially we are introduced to a woman, Mrs. Hale, who first seems cast as a central character, if
not the central focus of the storys plot. By use of this literary diversion, the reader is intentionally
mislead by focusing on the details of the patterns of her life and her overall guiding thought
processes. For example, in Paragraph 1, we are shown the concept of Mrs. Hales inherent
instinct for neatness, her bread all ready for mixing, half the flour sifted and half unsifted.
Although this appears as a seemingly innocuous detail, it later becomes a key point as the plot
develops, in that this trait seems to be directly opposite the nature of the accused. Mrs. Hale is
shown to be a person of neatness and detail; no job is to be left unfinished, and high importance
is attached to keeping a proper household. She is shown to be a strong woman, a woman of
principle, who is concerned, if not outright ashamed, of her failure to be a good neighbor. In direct
comparison to Mrs. Hale, we meet her fellow conspirator, Mrs. Peters, the wife of the sheriff. It is
interesting to note that while the author makes it clear that Mrs. Hale is well suited for her role in
life, that of a farmers wife, Mrs. Peters seems to be ill at ease being the wife of a lawman. She
initially seems to lack the very force of character that is required of someone of authority, yet we
understand as the plot is developed that she is instead a woman of equally strong convictions
and character, and a person who can and will, in the final analysis, rise to the occasion. Finally,
we are introduced to the character around which the story is centered, the accursed murderess,
Mrs. Wright. She is depicted to be a person of great life and vitality in her younger years, yet her
life as Mrs. Wright is portrayed as one of grim sameness, maintaining a humorless daily grind,
devoid of life as we regard it in a normal social sense. Although it is clear to the reader that Mrs.
Wright is indeed the culprit, she is portrayed sympathetically because of that very lack of
normalcy in her daily routine. Where she was once a girl of gaiety and laughter, it is clear that
over the years she has been forced into a reclusive shell by a marriage to a man who has been
singularly oppressive. It is equally clear that she finally was brought to her personal breaking
point, dealing with her situation in a manner that was at once final and yet inconclusive,
depending on the outcome of the legal investigation. It is notable that regardless of the outcome,
Mrs. Wright had finally realized a state of peace within herself, a state which had been denied her
for the duration of her relationship with the deceased. For purposes of character and plot
development, the men in the story are superfluous for the most part. Their major contribution to
the story is their good-natured contempt of women in general, and a womans ability for
discernment. In this case, this ignorance on their part is a fatal flaw that is at the same time a
familiar one. As humans, we all are egocentric by nature, and it is only through conscious effort
and will do humans become able to fully see and appreciate those subtle nuances that form the
complete human psyche. We also note that the mens approach to the investigation is based on
their experience with other men for the most part. The subtlety of the female mind escapes their
attention entirely; in fact, it is a subject of derision. This is in direct opposition to the investigation
conducted by the women. Although they themselves are only vaguely familiar with the accused,
they are also very familiar with, and sympathetic of, the plight of her daily routine. The scene set
by the author; the broken stove, the threadbare clothes, the dirty pots; all contribute to creating a
sense of empathy on the part of the reader for Mrs. Wright. We know the facts of the case as
presented in the story. Mr. Wright, ever the dour one, with little to no appreciation for the beauty
of life, imposed his overbearing will upon his wife one time too many. By taking from her the only
thing in life that she truly cherished, he in effect destroyed all that was left inside her that was
good, pure and still relatively untainted. By his wanton killing of her bird, he committed the
unpardonable sin; he crossed the line formed by her inner feelings by taking from her the last
vestige of all that she ever held near and dear to her heart. It is equally clear to the reader that
the act of murder was one which was not a matter of impulse so much as it was a calculated act
based on years of mental and marital abuse. Although the actual killing was in all likelihood not
premeditated, the thought pattern leading up to the actual act had been long in formation. That
Mrs. Wright had been abused to the point of desperation was finally and clearly understood by
the two women who were the peers forming Mrs. Wrights jury. The telling details center on the
unfinished task of putting the sugar away, and in the untidy sewing of a small piece of the
unfinished quilt. We can easily visualize what occurred: Mr. Wright, after taking from his wife the
only thing she truly still cared for, caused her to become distraught to the point of total distraction
and fury. This is evidenced by the fact that, although the majority of the stitching was very
precise, that one piece was a total mess. It is not an accident that this very piece of stitchery
covered the final resting place of the bird. It is also very notable that the dead bird rested in a
beautiful box that obviously was one of the last things Mrs. Wright considered of value in her life.
The correlation between the bird and the box is very strong; both represented the loss of all that
she ever held near and dear to her heart. The loss of them virtually simultaneously became the
last straw for Mrs. Wright. We can imagine her state of mind as she sat in shock after witnessing
the destruction of all that she had left in her life to love and hold dear. The fact that she put the
bird in the box, that last remnant of happier times, increases the pathos experienced by the
central characters as well as the reader. The visual mirror drawn by the author between the
singing of the bird and that of the young Mrs. Wright strongly suggests the affinity between her
and the singing of the bird. It wasnt the bird so much that kept her sane, as much as what it
represented to her of her lost youth and former life. When the bird was needlessly killed, it was as
if in doing so, Mr. Wright symbolically murdered the last vestige of his wifes innocence and
youth which was the only element still sustaining her in her grim existence. In taking from her all
that she truly loved, it was as if her husband physically destroyed the central core element of his
own wife. This treatment she could no long tolerate. In her defense, the other women understood
all too clearly what had driven her to commit the deed. The final irony of the tale is the manner of
dispatch; Mr. Wright was murdered in a manner that was entirely consistent with his wifes sense
of justice. The fact that he also was choked until dead reflects wonderfully the justice required for
his wringing of the birds neck. Note that although there was a gun in the house it was not used.
Only by taking his life in the manner that he lived was justice fully and completely served. This is
a wonderful tale that stands on its own merit. It is an even greater story when considered in light
of the symbolic and allegorical elements contained therein. The authors masterful use of
seemingly subtle and unrelated elements is woven into a complex tapestry that illustrates fully the
complexity that is the human condition. One can only hope that the jurys final verdict was a
binding one.