A Critical essay of Susan Glaspell's .
Stereotypes, according to The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, are ideas about a thing or a group that may often be untrue, or only partly true. There have been examples of stereotypes throughout history and they still play an important role in society today. Stereotypes put a stress on people as they try to live up to them or overcome them. Men and women, for example, have always been expected to lead certain roles and lives. The expectations and rules of the male and female roles in society have always been explicitly laid out. The man is expected to be the head of the house, provide for the family, and hold jobs in the community. The woman, is expected to be a good wife, provide children and care for them, tend to the cooking and the cleaning, and be seen and not heard. Susan Glaspell's, "A Jury of Her Peers," challenges this classic stereotype of what is expected of a wife and woman. Glaspell accomplishes this by exemplifying the basic human needs of a woman and their value to society. .
"A Jury of Her Peers," revolves around the county attorney, Mr. Henderson, the sheriff, Mr. Peters and his wife, and Mr. Hale and his wife. The men are investigating the murder of Mr. Wright, the only obvious suspect being his wife. Glaspell makes it clear to the reader throughout the story what is expected of a woman and a wife through the interactions of the male and female characters. The first stereotype alluded to is that a wife should keep her house clean. If the house is not up to standards she is not a good wife and therefore not a good woman. When looking around Mrs. Wright's kitchen the men noticed disorganization and a dirty hand towel. Mr. Henderson comments the she was "not much of a housekeeper" (Glaspell 301). Mrs. Wright's character is immediately judged based on a hand towel, which Mrs. Hale later points out could have been dirtied that very morning when a man came to start the fire in the stove.
