The characters of the play are Henry Peters the Sheriff, neighboring farmer Lewis Hale, the county attorney George Henderson, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Hale and Peters are the wives of Henry Peters and Lewis hale and they are also the main protagonists in the story. The play takes place in the Wright's house. While the men start the investigation, the women …show more content…
In one exchange we have Mrs. Peters comment on how Mrs. Wright was worried about her fruit and the Sheriff glibly replies, "Held for murder and worryin’ about her preserves” (Glaspell 8). This general attitude toward women is held by the other men in the room in that "women are used to worrying over trifles” (Glaspell 8). The dialogue shows a general lack of respect for what the women have to say. The way the Sheriff reacts to his own wife's words appear a little harsh given she was just making some conversation, but in this we see that a woman's place was not to speak until spoken to. The prejudice attitude from the men to the woman is apparent at this point to the audience and allows for speculation as to how the men normally treat their