“A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell was written in 1916, a time where women had virtually no rights and any minor movement to tirade against the upper echelon was strongly disparaged. Being a woman during this time period was, therefore, nearly impossible. Glaspell was born in 1878 and became well-educated, attending Drake University despite the presiding belief that college made women unfit for marriage. She became a reporter, and it was not until she covered the John Hossack murder story that she decided to change careers and become a writer. Many of her novels were set in Iowa, her place of residence, and took a semi-autobiographical stance. From a psychoanalytical perspective, “A Jury of Her Peers” appears to be a manifestation of Glaspell’s
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They are prevalent throughout the entire work. Being a woman in one of woman’s most oppressed time periods, Glaspell is able to easily note the burdens of repression that all minorities did and even still feel today. She did not have any children, although she made several attempts that resulted in miscarriage. This is likely why she makes the decision to include Harry, Mr. and Mrs. Hale’s son, within the story. Martha was fearful that “maybe Harry wasn’t dressed warm enough” (2). This symbolizes Glaspell’s desperation for a being she could fully take care of. She never had the opportunity, so she instead made it so her characters would not suffer similar hardships, although Martha’s “first baby died—after he was two years old” (11). Later, Glaspell’s desire for women to overcome men’s patriarchal mannerisms is shown when the narrator states, “she kept her eye fixed on her husband, as if to keep him from saying unnecessary things that would go into that note-book and make trouble” (3). The author hopes for a society in which women will be able to give men a look that they have received for years on end, a look that warned without speaking and hushed without question. However, this is refuted when the story looks at the men in the story: Mrs. Peters states, “I don’t see as there’s anything so strange…our taking up out time with little things while we’re waiting for them …show more content…
Patriarchal societies that cause women to be vastly inferior to their male counterparts can cause corruption and hatred that poison all within said society’s well-being. By utilizing elements of her real life, the author is able to show that the male-dominated world is still alive and will continue to thrive unless women band together to fix it; it has been in existence for centuries and still only few women are beginning to see the crisis. These thoughts can be best viewed by Martha Hale when she states, “I don’t think a place would be any the cheerfuller for John Wright’s [Minnie’s husband] bein’ in it” (5). She is beginning to question the values of the men so supported by the society, believing that they are not always the friendliest. The men in the story affirm her thoughts when they “laugh for the ways of women” (8) when, in reality, it is the “silly” women who stumble upon the most incriminating clue in the entire crime scene. The addition of the female characters Minnie, Martha, and Mrs. Peters and their symbolic relations to the id, ego, and superego, respectfully, all work to show how an individual’s mind truly works. One time or another, everyone has been
They are prevalent throughout the entire work. Being a woman in one of woman’s most oppressed time periods, Glaspell is able to easily note the burdens of repression that all minorities did and even still feel today. She did not have any children, although she made several attempts that resulted in miscarriage. This is likely why she makes the decision to include Harry, Mr. and Mrs. Hale’s son, within the story. Martha was fearful that “maybe Harry wasn’t dressed warm enough” (2). This symbolizes Glaspell’s desperation for a being she could fully take care of. She never had the opportunity, so she instead made it so her characters would not suffer similar hardships, although Martha’s “first baby died—after he was two years old” (11). Later, Glaspell’s desire for women to overcome men’s patriarchal mannerisms is shown when the narrator states, “she kept her eye fixed on her husband, as if to keep him from saying unnecessary things that would go into that note-book and make trouble” (3). The author hopes for a society in which women will be able to give men a look that they have received for years on end, a look that warned without speaking and hushed without question. However, this is refuted when the story looks at the men in the story: Mrs. Peters states, “I don’t see as there’s anything so strange…our taking up out time with little things while we’re waiting for them …show more content…
Patriarchal societies that cause women to be vastly inferior to their male counterparts can cause corruption and hatred that poison all within said society’s well-being. By utilizing elements of her real life, the author is able to show that the male-dominated world is still alive and will continue to thrive unless women band together to fix it; it has been in existence for centuries and still only few women are beginning to see the crisis. These thoughts can be best viewed by Martha Hale when she states, “I don’t think a place would be any the cheerfuller for John Wright’s [Minnie’s husband] bein’ in it” (5). She is beginning to question the values of the men so supported by the society, believing that they are not always the friendliest. The men in the story affirm her thoughts when they “laugh for the ways of women” (8) when, in reality, it is the “silly” women who stumble upon the most incriminating clue in the entire crime scene. The addition of the female characters Minnie, Martha, and Mrs. Peters and their symbolic relations to the id, ego, and superego, respectfully, all work to show how an individual’s mind truly works. One time or another, everyone has been