Critical Analysis of "A Jury of Her Peers".
In "A Jury of Her Peers," the setting is very important; it sets the mood for the entire story, and whether Minnie Wright will be innocent or guilty. The setting is gloomy and sad; from the looks of the outside of the house to the way the inside of the house looks and feels.
When the group of people are riding to the Wright house the mood is set. The house is in a hollow and it is described as "lonesome." It is also surrounded by "lonesome-looking trees (1)." The lonesome house and trees symbolize Minnie Wright's lonesome life. The inside of the house is not any more cheerful than the outside. Minnie's chores are all half complete and the dishes are dirty. Minnie is described as "not much of a housekeeper (6)." There is also an old rocking chair that is in the living room of the house. It is described as old, dingy, and saggy; this chair parallels Minnie's life, and it adds to the gloom of the setting(3). The gloomy and dirty house add to the gloom that surrounds the murder.
All of the people in the house seemed to be a bit spooked because of what the house looks and feels like. Mrs. Hale points out that the Wright house "never seemed a very cheerful place." When Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale go into the front room to retrieve .
Minnie's clothes they both get a chill (8).
The setting of the story makes the reader want to believe that Minnie Wright is guilty. If the house had been cheerful, clean, and welcoming people would be less likely to think that Minnie Wright is guilty of killing her husband. The setting of the house is gloomy, and it adds to the guilt that surrounds Minnie.
