At first glance, "A Jury of Her Peers" may seem like an intricate look into a classic murder mystery. However, Susan Glaspell crafts a union between two distinct yet similar women as they assemble pieces of Minnie Wright's crime. Through the use of irony and the indirect characterization of a submissive sheriff's wife, Glaspell depicts the underlying struggle and rebellion of women in a patriarchal society.
The irony found in the men's dialogue further portrays the conflict between women and their dominating counterparts. This is found when the men make the vital mistake of overlooking the kitchen. With a respected sheriff and competent investigator, who better to solve the murder of John Wright? Apparently it's the inexperienced women who "are used to worrying over trifles." The women's empathy used to comprehend hints that shed light on Minnie Wright's hidden life uncover murderer's motive. From the broken jars of cherries and the unfinished quilt, they presume that Minnie Foster struggled with her role as an obedient housewife. From the broken door on bird cage, they infer that John Wright was an controlling and abusive man. From the dead canary, the two women understand Minnie Foster unwillingly gave up her love of singing– the driving force to murder. Only Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters can place themselves into her shoes. This enables them to conclude that her husband's oppression was the motive of the murder. While the so-called capable men who were getting "the lay of things upstairs" dismiss the women's' genius work with a laugh, the women successful find the motive. The men believing the women were just concerned "whether she [Minnie] was going to quilt it or just knot it!" does not allow them to recognize the significance of the women in this case. This creates an opportunity for the women to defy their power. By hiding the evidence to prosecute Minnie Wright, the women undermine the struggle they face against men in society.
Initially being described as docile and subservient, Mrs. Peter's development plays a critical role in understanding the underlying gender conflicts. Though Mrs. Hale descriptions, Mrs. Peters does not look like a sheriff's wife. However her personality may say otherwise. Mrs. Peters is described as someone who "is married to the law” by Mr. Henderson. This idea is seen when Mrs. Peters tends to of all thing Minnie Wright needs while imprisoned. She follows the orders of her husband, "a heavy man with a big voice" who could never be seen doing the work of women! At first she appears as a firm person who cannot sympathize for Minnie Wright or her current situation as "the law is the law." It isn't until finds Mrs. Hale finds the dead canary that Mrs. Peter's rigidness is broken and she becomes more vulnerable. She suddenly empathizes with Minnie Wright as she reminisces on her childhood pet. She struggles to talk about the boy who murdered her kitten, saying "If they hadn't held me back I would have...hurt him." This moment emphasizes the inner conflict between her conditioned loyalty to her husband (and the law), and the emotional bond that unites her gender. Ultimately Mrs. Peters faced to either hand the incriminating evidence to her husband or uniting with Mrs. Hale to keep Minnie from being prosecuted. Mrs. Peters realizes her duty to her gender as "she could not touch the bird" and "She stood there helpless, foolish." By concealing the evidence, Mrs. Peters proves that she is not the submissive and cold sheriff's wise introduced at at the beginning of the story. Instead she aids Mrs. Hale in discreetly rebelling against the oblivious men who hold a dominant standing in society.
Although never directly stated, many literary techniques and strategies can be found to show support for Susan Glaspell's commentary on the different and prejudiced gender roles during her time. Specifically, the use of irony and Mrs. Peter's indirect character development in "A Jury of Her Peers" paint the perfect picture of the struggles and rebellion women faced in a male-dominated society.
