Topic > Invisible Irony: An Interpretation of A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell

In "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell there were many examples of irony, mostly caused by men, which ultimately prevented them from completing their goal of solving Mr. Wright's murder. Glaspell wanted to point out that men's lack of respect for women's intelligence is the main reason why they were unable to solve the murder by having the men address the women "with good-natured superiority" and they said things like "Women are used to worrying about trivial things." or “well, you can beat women! Detained for murder and worried about her demands!”. In another ironic twist, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters ultimately find power in being devalued, as their low status allows them to remain silent at the end of the show. Women are able to carry out their investigations without hindrance from men due to their perceived inability to use the information obtained. This is what allows them to walk around the house and see Minnie's old clothes, proof that her husband was stingy and didn't think a woman needed nice or new clothes. The jars of preservatives, to show that there was a lot of work to be done on a farm and that Minnie was not safe from any of it. The unfinished quilt, made with a particular technique called "knotting," may also be a metaphor for Mrs. Wright tying a knot around her husband's neck, which is why women are so confident, after realizing she has actually killed her husband , who would knot the quilt. The last piece was the canary with the broken neck, which the women realized looked a lot like Mrs. Wright. The women remember how much she loved to sing and how free she was, but now she was locked in the house every day, just like the bird. As the men walked around absolutely confident in their superior investigative skills, they were none the wiser. “A Jury of Her Peers,” Susan Glaspell reveals obvious sexism that leads to altering women's sense of justice and, ironically, preventing men from solving the murder. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Mael Phyllis highlights how “women share their experiences” which might allow them to “act with a new respect for the value of their lives” as women, different from, but certainly equal to, the male world.” Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are able to share memories of their lives, which were similar to Minnie's, only different in their own ways. All the women lived on a farm, they all had to work to survive the next week, they were all married, some had children. But Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were not so oppressed, their husbands loved them and treated them well enough. The two women talk about how Mr. Wright could be a rude individual, how he suppressed Minnie's naturally vibrant personality and turned their home into a cold place. Going through the same general lives in different properties bonds the women in a way that the men couldn't understand, and showing their open sexism to the women only strengthens this bond, ironically making it increasingly difficult for the men to solve the murder. Phyllis Mael goes on to say that Glaspell understood that when women are approached through their experiences, they can be empowered to make decisions they otherwise would not be able to make. This empowerment is what perhaps helped Ms. Peters the most. Since she was "married to the law," the men had no doubt as to from whom.