Sexism in Susan Glaspells A Jury of Her Peers Essay

In Susan Glaspell’s â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers,† Minnie Foster is accused of killing her husband. This accusation forces Mrs. Peters to choose between the law and her inner feelings. Her husband is the sheriff of Dickenson County, Iowa. It has always been a small, quiet town where nothing really happens. Mrs. Peters is faced with an internal struggle. On one side, she is married to the law and on the other side she understands what Minnie has been through. Her husband used to mentally abuse her to the point where she is now basically secluded from everyone and everything in the world. Mr. Hale even makes the comment, â€Å"Though I said at the same time that I didn’t know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John† (260). The†¦show more content†¦The worst part of it all is that she had a little pet bird that she treated like her own child and John Wright has killed by wringing its neck. She has nothing to love or care for and defi nitely has no one to love and care for her in the way she so desperately needs. When John Wright kills her only friend that brings her happiness, her little bird, she has to kill him. Minnie always had friends and loved life until this man kept her away from it. Minnie has every right in the world to kill her husband. Glaspell also gives the impression that all men are jerks. For example, the men constantly make fun of the women and put them down for everything they do or do not do. In the beginning of the story the men complained of â€Å"dirty towels† when Minnie is in jail and has not even been home to clean up (264). Even though many men may be like that, not all men are. These types of men are the ones who give the rest of the gender a bad name. Glaspell was not at fault by making some men look bad, but she could have put at least one man in the story who was kind and understanding. In the story, she makes every man look like a jerk. By doing that, Glaspell basically says that is how all men are and that they cannot and will not be sensitive or be able to understand women in any way, shape or form. She is wrong. She does not give men enough credit. There are plenty of men who are sensitive and Glaspell refuses to show that side of the male gender. Mrs.Show MoreRelatedSusan Glaspell s A Jury Of Her Peers1408 Words   |  6 PagesGrowing up in Iowa in the 1800s and 1900s, Susan Glaspell took inspiration for many of her stories from personal experiences. As a former courthouse reporter herself, Glaspell’s short story â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† is based largely on her involvement with a murder case and a kitchen she recalled investigating. â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers,† a rendition of her early play, Trifles, focuses on the homicide of an abusive husband by his wife. While the men investigating the case overlook the various signs of abuseRead MoreSusan Glaspell s Jury Of Her Peers1841 Words   |  8 PagesName: ZaZa Horton Professor: Leblanc Course: Anicent Woman in Greece 20 April 2015 Susan Glaspell’s â€Å"Jury of Her Peers† â€Å"Jury of Her Peers† is a short story that revolves around the strange death of john wright. It is a piece of work that exposes sexism on women. Women have been categorized for some time now based on their gender and not on ability and skills. They have always fell at the short end of the stick when compare against men. Nevertheless, there were many similarities as well as