Role Of Men And Women In Susan Glaspell's A Jury of Her Peers

Susan Glaspell's short story, A Jury of Her Peers, was in writing long before the up to date women's action started, yet her story discloses, through Glaspell's use of symbolism, the function that women are anticipated to play in society. Glaspell shows how this highly stereotypical function can conceive oppression for women and furthermore convey damage to men as well.

Character titles are very significant in A Jury of her Peers. The two individual characteristics, John and Minnie Wright, are the aim of the story. The title Minnie has important symbolism. Minnie is drawn from mini or minimized, which was very descriptive of her demoralised connection with John and furthermore the male insensitivity in the direction of most women in society. Women taking their husband's last titles is furthermore very important in the story. The women in the story are not granted first titles, and are mentioned to only as Mrs.Hale and Mrs.Peters. The function that humanity has cast upon them is characterised by their husbands. Mrs. Peters, who is wed to the sheriff, is examined in those terms. Mr. Peter, the shire advocate, states 'for that issue a sheriff's wife is wed to the law'(glaspell 168). She strengthens that persona until she is faced with the brutality of what John Wright did to Minnie. She states 'I understand what calm is. The regulation has got to penalize Crime, Mrs. Hale'(glaspell 167). The distinction is she is conversing about the misdeed pledged against Minnie, not the killing of John by Minnie.

The Rocking seating is another significant symbol in the story. The seating symbolizes the missing Minnie Wright. The rocking seating 'was dingy, with timber rungs up the back, and the middle rung was gone, and the seating sagged to one side'(glaspell 157), which was not any thing like Mrs.Hale utilised to recall it being. Mrs. Hale furthermore talks of Minnie Foster, Foster being her maiden title, 'I desire you'd glimpsed Minnie Foster when she was dressed in a white dress with azure ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang'(glaspell 167). Mrs. Hale then states 'how-she- did-change'(165). The rocking seating had depreciated over the years just like Minnie Foster, but Minnie Foster's change was due to John's misuse which refuted her individuality and imprisoned her in a stereotype that was brain debilitating. This finally directed Minnie to murder John and get away the abuse.

Other important symbols in the story are the bird and the birdcage. Mrs. Hale recounts Minnie, before her wedding ceremony, as 'kind of like a bird herself-real sugary and attractive, but kind of timid and fluttery'(glaspell 165). The bird is caged just as Minnie is tricked in the abusive connection with John. John figuratively strangles the life out of Minnie like he literally strangles the bird. When he murders the bird, he murders the last bit of Minnie and her spirit. Mrs.Hale and Mrs. Peters find Minnie's bird cage in the closet, but they don't ...