A Jury of Her Peers Essay Questions

How do Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale eventually come to understand and empathize with each other by the end of the story?

Though Mrs. Hale is somewhat skeptical of the sheriff's wife at the beginning of the story, the two women cannot help but draw together by the end. First, they are unified as they listen to their men mocking them and making assumptions about what kind of woman Minnie is based on her kitchen. Neither woman can avoid the fact that Minnie was clearly interrupted by something, and that she was living in a way that was conducive to despair and loneliness. They both realize what the bird meant to Minnie and what sort of stillness would have resulted after it was killed. Mrs. Peters knows that stillness from her homesteading days, as well as the murderous rage that filled her when a boy killed her kitten. Both women are capable of empathizing with the absent Minnie Wright, as well as being cognizant of women's marginalized position in society and what that might mean when Minnie goes to trial. The two of them through their thoughtfulness, empathy, observational skills, and compassion decide to be their own "jury of her peers."

What thesis, if any, does the story advance about the relationship between law and justice, and about the civil responsibilities of persecuted individuals?

At the time of Hossack murder and the publishing of Glaspell's story, women did not have the vote in America. They also were not able to serve on juries or in political office or as a judge, thus ostracizing them completely from the law to which they were still, of course, expected to adhere. The law does not understand their lives and it is unlikely that Minnie would get a fair trial; in light of this, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters elect to effectively become the investigators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and jury. This, the story suggests, is "real justice." However, the story is not saying blatantly that women do not have to follow the law at all: they have a vested interest in promoting a civil society. The point is that people should be able to conscientiously object to the law, to call attention to its flaws and hypocrisies. They should be able to insist on empathy, compassion, and care. Women, in particular, should be able to defend themselves from individual me, as well as the male-embodied law.

Did Minnie kill John in self-defense? Why or why not?

Some people might consider this an easy question, but it may be more complicated than it seems. Certainly, it does not appear that John attacked Minnie or was trying to physically hurt her. However, based on the information the two women discover in the place, Minnie's action still seems to constitute a certain type of self-defense killing. John's isolation of Minnie, his hardness, and his cruelty towards an animal—the one source of light in Minnie's life—indicate that he has no regard for her life and that he may have someday harmed her more than he already had. As scholar Marina Angel writes, "only recently has our legal system recognized that the home is a dangerous place for women. Women are more likely to be abused, raped, and murdered within their own homes than outside." A recognition of the notion of time as it pertains to men and women differently is also necessary. Most men consider self-defense as something immediate that happens when someone (a man) is suddenly attacked by another person (usually a man). However, "for abused women...time is drawn out and provocation recurrent, as is the need for self-defense. Minnie Wright lived in fear of an explosive, deadly attack. The death of her canary was a sign of that impending attack."

What is the narrative effect of Minnie's absence from the stage/action of Trifles/"A Jury of Her Peers"?

Critic Susan Ben-Zvi explains that "by not bringing Minnie physically on to the stage, the playwright focuses on issues that move beyond the guilt or innocence of one person" (quoted in Simso). The structure of the story emphasizes that Minnie is a stand-in for all women, particularly in this place and time where they are firmly relegated to the private sphere, have few options other than marriage, have no voice in the law, and can be controlled utterly by men. The abuse that Minnie suffers (clearly psychological and emotional, perhaps physical or sexual as well) is commonplace in the lives of women.

How do the women differ in their communication methods from the men throughout the text?

The men in the story place a premium on the spoken: on the verbalized and articulated word. They accompany their words with a demeanor of authority and confidence, as well as an elevated tone of voice. The women, on the other hand, do not speak as much. They watch and listen. They do not like to talk in front of the men. They say things in their own minds or in hushed, faltering tones. They cut off their own loud laughs as if they were disrespectful; they draw close together when they want to communicate. They use their hands to touch the objects and make them more real, rather than merely speaking of said objects and bestowing a meaning on them they do not possess. Their mode of communication is encapsulated in the moment at which they decide what to do about Minnie: "There was a moment when they held each other in a steady, burning look in which there was no evasion or flinching."