What are the characters in jury of her peers trying to find?

The protagonist of this drama is Martha Hale. She is a typical rural housewife that has lived in a little town in Dickson County all of her life. She grew up with the alleged murderer and had been to the house several times, but not find evidence to convict here friend of murder. This hometown girl is now felling a new sense of loyalty to her friend, as she remembers the way she was twenty years and as little as one year ago. This new loyalty shows her deep ties to the community and her sex. This loyalty to women follows her throughout the story and shows her ability to look past a situation and tell what is really happening in the lives of others. The men in this story obviously think the women inferior and that allows Mrs. Hale to show not contempt for men, but rather their naiveté toward the true nature and feelings of women. She does this to protect them from things that really do not want to find out about because if they did they would be forced into things that are really not wanted by any, sending a woman whose husband she killed in self defense to her death. This dynamic character goes from an uncomfortable situation in which she really just wants to go home...

Complications: The inciting incident that startles everyone is the murder of John Wright that his wife Minnie Wright is being accused of. Mr. Hales is the one who finds his life-less body in bed and it is evident he was choked to death. Minnie assures she does not know anything because she was sound asleep. She is the primary suspect, though what they need are motives to pin on her.

Rising action: Intrigue builds as Mrs. Hales reminisces on the girl Minnie used to be and how much changed in twenty years. The men look desperately for clues but are unable to find anything. However, it is Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hales who unknowingly little by little start unraveling the motives to the crime.

Crisis: After establishing that the home was not very cared for as neither was Minnie, these women find a broken bird house and eventually the strangled bird. They say they do not know who committed either murders, but they truthfully do. They are aware that John Wright killed the canary in turn, Minnie takes his life in the same fashion. 

Climax: The pivotal point is when both woman side with Minnie. They are in agreement that since John took all happiness from the once lively Minnie, it was justifiable for her to murder him. After all, when one is alone and has no one, “a person gets discouraged-- and loses heart.” 

Falling Action: They hide the evidence, confine in each other and ultimately rebel against their husbands unbeknown to them. They know the men will never understand nor will be able to find motive, so they silence what they know.

   The setting is the home of the Wrights’ which happens to be a farm in a rural area in Dickson County. The accounts take place around the early 1900s’ and this era helps see one of the main conflicts of the plot. This is a time when women are not valued as equals to men, therefore what they know about the crime will not impact the men as it did with them. The kitchen, being the primary setting, is of great value to the story because the women begin to understand the motive of Minnie through the little things within the kitchen that the men do  not see, because they can not relate.

         Minnie Foster (Wright): A trapped woman who is under the investigation for her husbands, John Wright, murder. She is a woman described by her peers as one who was joyful and free during her childhood. She has entered into a marriage that has confined her from her true self. Minnie is the prime suspect in her husband’s murder, and her seemingly miserable life and the death of her beloved bird divulge that. She is not present in the story and therefore cannot be described as round or flat. 

         John Wright: Minnie’s murdered husband. The story begins with his murder and Minnie is his suggested killer. He is described as a man who is self-centered, cold, and unfriendly by both his male and female peers. He is also not present in the story and cannot be described as round or flat. 

         Martha Hale: Mrs. Hale is the speaker and narrator of the story and she also plays the role of protagonist. She doubts the men’s immediate suspicions and defends Minnie and women throughout the story. Throughout the play, she identifies herself with Mrs. Wright, which ultimately leads to her convincing Mrs. Peters to hide the bird instead of allowing the men to find what the motive of the murder was. This decision to hide the evidence was a major internal struggle for Mrs. Hale. She is the character that questions the degrading of women instead of just taking it. She understood the murder because she understood how Mrs. Wright felt towards her husband. Because of her developing character and her major part in the outcome of this story’s ending Mrs. Hale is a round character. 

         Lewis Hale: An antagonist in this story because he is a male character. He is called to the scene of the murder as a witness; as the man who discovered the crime he is very important. Through his descriptions the reader comes to understand Minnie’s behavior the day of the murder. His wife is concerned with him and his ability to tell the story correctly, yet he does a decent enough job. Along with all the other men, he only searches the noticeable areas for clues. Due to his one-sided character throughout the play and very little internal conflict, Lewis Hale is a flat character. 

         Mrs. Peters: The wife of sheriff Peters. She is glad to be accompanied to the murder scene with Martha Hale, for she seems timid and afraid at first. Being the sheriff’s wife she ignored Martha’s interest in finding clues and discussing the miserable life of Minnie Foster. Being a female character she is on the side of the protagonist and eventually she comes to Martha’s aid in covering up evidence that would have convicted Minnie Foster. Due to the fact that this character developed form a timid law abiding woman to one that helped hide evidence because of the female plight made known by this story, Mrs. Peters is a round character. 

         Sheriff Henry Peters: A man of the law. He examines the scene and interviews the witnesses as any good sheriff should. Although he takes on the role of the male antagonist when he dismisses the women’s discovers and suggestions as childish and unimportant. Due to his one sided nature, Sheriff Peters is a flat character in this story. 

         George Henderson: Also a part of the male antagonist in this story. He is a prosecutor looking to prosecute Minnie Foster for the crime of murdering her husband. His mind is made up and he mocks the women and their discoveries. He is a pompous character that would have benefited if he understood the women’s importance. Due to his one-sided nature he would also be considered a flat character. 

The most prominent theme in the story is the treatment of women. The story is about a murder, but the focus is not on the murder itself, but of the motive of Minnie Wright. Which in general, the two women understand because they can relate to the difficult and lonely life of a farmer’s wife. It is a life of solitude and one where you are taken for granted for and undermined constantly by men. They identify with Mrs. Wright and her feelings towards her husband and are able to solve this murder. But the twist is when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale take a stand for Mrs. Wright and choose to not allow the men to find the bird that would have given the men a story/motive for the murder. This story is closely related to the separate spheres of men and women in this time period. The author attempts to display these realities to the reader through examination of close interaction between men and women. This author feels for the apparent lack of authority women were given in this time. The author’s purpose for writing this story was to enable the reader to be able to identify the separate spheres women faced in this period. This realization of understanding of the female characters feelings and viewpoints in this story allows them to realize the female plight. 

Point of View

The short story is written in 3rd person, giving the audience an omniscient perspective. The omniscient narrator focuses on the woman, mainly Mrs. Hale, rather than the men. This impacts the story because it centers in on the women’s actions and thoughts, giving the reader insight into the life of women in that time. The author uses this style in order to reveal the feminist theme, through focusing in on the woman’s ideas.

Style and Tone

The writer uses medium diction throughout the story, while using some slang and denotation, especially from the men. The author uses an emotional tone and attitude through the use of communication between the characters. This occurs so that the reader can really connect with the oppression of the woman. The use of satire from the men in the story contribute to the theme through emphasizing the way woman were viewed, and what was expected of them at the time.

Figurative Language

The writer uses figurative language throughout the story. For instance, he uses personification to give a human characteristic to inerter objects: “It had always been a lonesome-looking place. It was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees around it were lonesome-looking trees” (Paragraph 7). In this quote, the writer uses personification to illustrate to the readers that the place was solitary and maybe isolated. Another use of personification is use when he writes: “they hadn’t any of them realized how that north wind did bite” (24). In this quote, the writer wants to show that the north win is very cold. Another figurative language that the writer uses is simile to describe something to using something else. The next sentence shows the use of simile: “Mr. Hale rubbed his face after the fashion of a showman getting ready for a pleasantry” (101). This quote means that Mr. Hale was pleased by what was happening or were going to happen. Another good example of use of simile in the story is: “She stopped, shivering a little. Like a raw wind that gets to the bone “ (203).  Metaphors are used in the story, specifically when Mrs. Hale is describing Minnie’s character to the reader. “She---come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. Real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and---fluttery.” (208) This is used to connect Minnie’s character to something familiar that readers can relate to, such as a caged bird.

Imagery

Glaspell uses words of imagery to further solidify the intended gender roles, while at the same time, portraying pivotal emotional breakthroughs within the women.  When Mrs. Hale explains to the county attorney that Mrs. Wright was worried about the cold and said “the fire would go out and her jars might burst” (p 71). She was trying to defend Mrs. Wright for having a “messy” house because she understands that the men must have their own wives, such as Mrs. Wright, to help keep their houses tidy but not fully having understand the work it takes to keep a house clean. The county attorney then replies to her, “Well, can you beat the woman! Held for murder, and worrying about her preserves” (p 73)! We can see the imagery of the bursting jars as being representational of The Wright's relationship all together, reflecting it’s damaged and explosive nature.  Even though Mrs. Wright's husband is not actively in the story, his absence does represent a heavy weight being lifted off of Minnie. The fact that she is very calm and doesn't seem worried about what's going to happen to her shows how her real problem was. The fact that the problem was already taken care of, it seemed nothing else could affect her. In a later conversation, the county attorney says, “But would the women know a clue if they did come upon it” (p 102)? Mocking the women again, seeing them as service dogs for men. He truly believes in the gender roles women have been scripted to play in this time, but it seems that the women aren’t very happy with how they are being treated that. Through Mrs. Wright’s actions we can see that she was definitely a woman who did not take this issue lightly and took justice in her own hands. Towards the end, the women end up coming across a song bird of Mrs. Wright, "There's Something Wrapped up in this piece of silk... It's the bird... somebody wrung its neck" (p218-226).  When the women see this, they take it as a representation of the life of Minnie versus who she used to be before Mr. Wright was in the picture. When they see that the bird is dead, they believe she has been done a great injustice in her life. They feel it necessary to protect her, as a woman, because if they don't the men will dismiss her as crazy and barbaric.

Symbolism

The writer uses symbolism throughout the story. Some of the most obvious symbols are: the broken birdcage, the kitchen, the rocking chair, the bird, and the meaning of knotting. The broken birdcage means that the life of Minnie Foster was broken, irreparable and inescapable that led her to kill her husband. The way the kitchen looks, disorganized and dirty, reveals Minnie Foster’s state of mind and unhappiness. The rocking chair represents how life changed for Minnie Foster after marriage; when Mrs. Hale looks at the chair, she does not think it fit for Minnie; she cannot envision seeing her on the old, beat up chair. This is a symbol of who Mrs. Wright turned out to be after all those tedious years of marriage. The dead bird at the end of the story, that Mrs. Hales and Mrs. Peters find is a symbol of Minnie. Just as the bird sang and was full of life before Mr. Wright killed it, so was Minnie before Mr. Wright killed her spirit. The little bit of sprit the bird offered her died with the bird. This in turn was enough motive to kill him.  Furthermore, when the women finally see the condition of the bird, they see it as representation of Mrs. Wright and her physical relationship with her husband. That's the reason why they try to save her, because perhaps these women too, at home, have the same or similar issues and sympathize with her. They know they have a literal hand in helping her disguise the action of her self-liberation. The caged bird is also a symbol in this story. The writer compares Minnie to her strangled canary that the main characters found. This comparison allows the reader to understand that Minnie was so alone and desperate. Allowing the reader to also understand why she would murder her husband over the death of her beloved bird. Imagining this woman as a trapped and scared animal rather than a murderer allows the reader to grasp why Minnie should be considered not guilty by a jury of her peers. 

What is the purpose of A Jury of Her Peers?

What evidence is found in jury of her peers?

What is the theme of the short story A Jury of Her Peers?

Who is the central character in A Jury of Her Peers?