Discussion Topic
Setting and Crime Scene Clues in "A Jury of Her Peers"
Summary:
In Susan Glaspell's "A Jury of Her Peers," the crime scene is primarily depicted through the kitchen, reflecting the oppressive life of Minnie Wright. The kitchen's disarray, with dirty towels, broken jars, and unfinished tasks, symbolizes Minnie's mental turmoil and isolation. Mrs. Peters initially views the scene through her husband's legal perspective but gradually empathizes with Minnie, understanding her motive after discovering a dead canary with a broken neck. This discovery, along with the broken birdcage, reveals the emotional abuse Minnie endured, leading Mrs. Peters to side with Mrs. Hale in concealing evidence.
Describe the crime scene in "A Jury Of Her Peers".
The actual crime occurred in the bedroom as Mrs. Peters, the protagonist, claims that someone came to the bedroom and put a rope around her husband's neck and strangled him in his sleep. Not much is said about the bedroom, however. Much, however is said about the kitchen. Why? Because of the context of the story and the atmosphere that the author is trying to create of a home in which a submissive wife suddenly snapped. Hence, the description of the kitchen, the state of the kitchen, the reaction of the detective upon seeing it, and the defense of Mrs. Hale, the neighbor, over the state of the it are all components of the atmosphere of gender injustice.
How does the kitchen look? Messy. The hand towels are dirty (which the detective, a chauvinist himself , had to talk smack about). Then the jars of jams and jellies had apparently busted open...
Unlock
This Answer NowStart your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
and cracked, leaving another mess everywhere. Everything was untidy, food laying around, and unfinished stitch work. All this was a way to summarize that the poor woman was at the end of her wits. The detective, of course, put it like the case of an untidy, bad wife that wasn't worth anything. The defense of Mrs. Hale, consistently giving a reason behind all that was found, shows that she had an idea of what was going on.
How do the setting details in "A Jury of Her Peers" provide clues to solve the murder?
The frigid winter setting of an isolated farm house in Iowa in 1900 certainly presents a "lonesome" place where a childless woman is left to herself for long intervals. When Mrs. Hale accompanies the sheriff's wife inside the farm house,
Even after she had her foot on the doorstep, her hand on the know, Martha Hale had a moment of feeling she could not cross the threshold....simply because she hadn't crossed it before. Time and time again it had been in her mind...And then there was always something to do and Minnie Foster would go from her mind.
The neglect of the kitchen with its dirty towel and broken and dingy, worn out rocking chair seem out of character for Minnie Foster, perhaps pointing to a person who is depressed. As the county attorney and the sheriff and Mr. Hale go upstairs and search for clues to the motive, the women explore further the kitchen and discover "things begun and not finished." For instance, there is a half empty bag beside the sugar bucket, and one half of the table has been wiped clean, but the other has not. The quilt upon which Mrs. Wright has been working has some rather erratic stitching, so Mrs. Hale takes it. Holding this block of the quilt bothers Mrs. Hale,
...as if the distracted thoughts of the woman who had perhaps turned to it to try and quiet herself were communicating themselves to her.
Just then, Mrs. Peters discovers a birdcage when she opens a cupboard for the things to take Mrs. Wright--a clear turning point in the search for evidence of a motive. Mrs. Hale's and Mrs. Peters's eyes meet after they notice how the hinge on the cage door has been broken. Then, after the discovery of the dead canary with its neck wrung, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale understand how a lonely woman with only a canary to bring a little cheer in her isolated life could have committed the murder of her husband.
How does Mrs. Peters perceive the crime scene in "A Jury of Her Peers"?
At first, Mrs. Peters looks at the scene through the eyes of the law. Her husband is the sherrif and she respects the law. However, over time, she begins to side with Mrs. Hale and see that Minnie was simply in a loveless and unhappy marriage. She was degrated and made to feel worthless and had a sad place to live. Mrs. Peters slowly through the story is drawn (she's known as the "swing vote") from the men's way of thinking to Mrs. Hale's way of thinking. She ends up siding with Mrs. Hale and concealing the evidence that pointed to Minnie's motive for killing her husband.
Describe the crime scene from Mrs. Peters's perspective in "A Jury of Her Peers."
In writing your assignment, consider the character of Mrs. Peters before you describe the crime scene from her point of view. Remember that she is the wife of the sheriff. Her friend, Mrs. Hale, is all for covering up the evidence they find, but Mrs. Peters is conflicted about it. She is reminded that she is "married to the law" and yet, should she do what is right according to the law, or do what is right according to her conscience?
If I were writing this, I would start out by describing the crime scene from the point of view of a woman who is upset over the murder but also a woman who is somewhat shocked by what she sees in the farmhouse; a dirty kitchen, a crooked stitch on a quilt, broken fruit jars, an empty canary cage. Remember that at first, the women are surprised by these crime scene observations, but slowly, they come to understand their significance, so I would try to bring this out in my description.
For example:
Mrs. Hale and I were quite surprised over the condition of Minnie's house. The kitchen looked like it had not been cleaned in weeks. There were broken fruit jars in the pantry, and the most amazing thing, there was a bird cage but we did not find any bird in it. The little door was swinging open. We looked around the house to see if we could find the little bird, but little did we realize that eventually we would find it, but it would be dead!
Good luck.