Friday, April 29, 2011

What are the male-female relations in "A Jury of Her Peers"?

Unfortunately, the male/female relations in "A Jury of our Peers" were typical of that time.  How women were able to be treated is best seen through the evidence, the "trifles," which are discovered by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters and dismissed by the men. 


Women were not to be persons in their own rights  Obviously Mr. Wright was furious at the singing of a bird, at the idea that his wife might interact with the outside world, at the idea that his wife coulod have a life and friends aside from him. He wielded the power and she was to be a silent, submissive woman.


Men were always right and superior.  Obviously the clues to this murder are all over the house and in plain sight; the men, however, think they know best what kinds of things are clues/evidence and in what kinds of places those clues would be found.  They laugh at the women and dismiss them at every turn.


Because of these two things, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters conduct their own infomal trial and act as Minnie's jury--and they obviously find her not guilty.

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