A Jury of Her Peers Flashcards
by Susan Glaspell — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: A Jury of Her Peers
Why does Mr. Hale visit the Wright house on the morning he discovers the crime?
He wants to convince John Wright to share the cost of a telephone line, since the phone company won't extend service to that branch road unless more than one household agrees to pay.
How does Mrs. Wright say her husband died?
She says he died of a rope around his neck. She claims someone strangled him while they slept in the same bed, and that she did not wake up because she sleeps soundly.
What do the women find wrong with one block of the quilt?
One block has wild, uneven stitching that contrasts sharply with the fine, careful sewing in all the other blocks, suggesting Minnie was extremely agitated when she sewed it.
What do Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover inside the pretty sewing box?
They find a dead canary wrapped in a piece of silk. Its neck has been wrung, mirroring how John Wright was killed with a rope around his neck.
What does the county attorney say is the one thing missing from their case against Minnie Wright?
He says they need a motive. The method and opportunity are clear, but they lack something concrete to show anger or sudden feeling that would explain why she did it.
What lie do the women tell the county attorney about the empty birdcage?
They tell him they think the cat got the bird. Mrs. Peters then adds that there is no cat now because "they're superstitious, you know; they leave," to cover the deception.
How is the dead bird ultimately concealed from the investigators?
Mrs. Hale snatches the box from Mrs. Peters and hides it in the pocket of her big coat just as the sheriff and county attorney re-enter the kitchen.
How does Martha Hale feel about not having visited Minnie Foster over the years?
She feels deep guilt and regret. She repeatedly says she wishes she had come over to see Minnie, calling her own neglect a "crime" and blaming herself for letting Minnie "die for lack of life."
How is Mrs. Peters described early in the story, and how does this contrast with what Mrs. Hale expects of a sheriff's wife?
Mrs. Peters is described as small, thin, and lacking a strong voice. Mrs. Hale contrasts her with the previous sheriff's wife, Mrs. Gorman, whose voice "seemed to be backing up the law with every word."
What was Minnie Foster like before she married John Wright?
She wore pretty clothes, including a white dress with blue ribbons, sang in the town choir, and was lively and social. Mrs. Hale remembers her as one of the "town girls."
How does Mrs. Hale characterize John Wright as a person?
She concedes he was "good" in that he did not drink and paid his debts, but calls him a hard man who was "like a raw wind that gets to the bone" and whose presence made the house cheerless.
What personal experience does Mrs. Peters share that helps her understand Minnie's isolation?
She recalls homesteading in Dakota when her first baby died at two years old, with no other children. She says, "I know what stillness is," connecting her own grief and loneliness to Minnie's.
How do the men in the story view the women's observations in the kitchen?
They dismiss them as trivial and irrelevant. Mr. Hale jokes that women "wouldn't know a clue if they did come upon it," and the sheriff laughs that there is "nothing here but kitchen things."
What does Mrs. Hale mean when she says, "We live close together, and we live far apart"?
She means that women share common experiences and hardships that create deep understanding between them, yet social isolation and daily obligations prevent them from reaching out to one another when it matters most.
How does the story challenge the idea that the legal system delivers true justice?
The women discover the motive the men cannot find, yet choose to hide it, suggesting that the male-dominated legal system is blind to the domestic suffering that drove Minnie to act, and that the women's understanding provides a more complete form of justice.
What does the title "A Jury of Her Peers" refer to?
It refers to Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, who serve as an unofficial jury of women who truly understand Minnie's life. Unlike the all-male legal jury, these "peers" comprehend the domestic oppression behind the crime.
What is the dramatic irony in the men's repeated dismissal of "kitchen things"?
The men believe the kitchen holds nothing important, yet every significant clue -- the erratic stitching, the broken birdcage, the dead canary -- is found there by the women they dismiss as preoccupied with trifles.
How does Glaspell use the setting of the Wright farmhouse to reinforce the story's themes?
The house sits in a hollow, hidden from the road, surrounded by lonesome-looking poplars. Its physical isolation mirrors Minnie's social and emotional isolation within her marriage.
What is the significance of the repeated phrase "pleatin' at her apron" in Mr. Hale's account?
It characterizes Minnie's psychological state after the murder -- performing a repetitive, mechanical action that suggests she is in shock or emotionally detached, while also evoking the domestic sphere that defined and confined her life.
How does the line "We call it -- knot it, Mr. Henderson" function as a double meaning at the story's end?
On the surface, Mrs. Hale answers a question about quilting technique. But "knot it" also alludes to the knotted rope used to kill John Wright, and signals the women's silent decision to protect Minnie.
What does "Wright was close" mean when Mrs. Hale says it while examining Minnie's shabby clothing?
In this context, "close" means miserly or stingy. Mrs. Hale is saying John Wright was tight with money, which is why Minnie had to repeatedly make over her worn-out clothes.
What does Mrs. Hale mean by hoping the house was more "red up" upstairs?
"Red up" (also "redd up") is a dialectal expression meaning tidied up or put in order. Mrs. Hale hopes Minnie kept the upstairs neater than the kitchen so the men would judge her less harshly.
What is a "fur tippet" as mentioned when Mrs. Peters hangs hers up?
A fur tippet is a fur cape or scarf worn around the shoulders and neck for warmth, common in early 20th-century women's clothing. It signals the cold setting and Mrs. Peters's modest respectability.
Who says "I know what stillness is" and what does it reveal?
Mrs. Peters says it, recalling her baby's death on a Dakota homestead. It reveals that she deeply understands the crushing silence and loneliness that Minnie endured, which breaks through her earlier deference to the law.
What does Mrs. Hale mean when she says, "I wish I had come over sometimes when she was here. I wish -- I had"?
She expresses her guilt over neglecting Minnie as a neighbor. The halting repetition conveys the weight of her regret, as she recognizes that her absence contributed to the isolation that drove Minnie to desperation.
Who says "a sheriff's wife is married to the law" and why is it significant?
The county attorney says it to Mrs. Peters, trying to remind her where her loyalty should lie. It is significant because Mrs. Peters ultimately rejects this idea by helping hide the evidence, choosing solidarity with Minnie over obedience to her husband's authority.