Main Theme Of A Jury Of Her Peers
The primary theme of the story is that it includes the investigation and discovery of the murder of John Wright. The main context or theme of the story rotates around gender roles in society. It highlights the significant roles of men and women in society.
In the same manner, the story suggests that women can understand many things that men cannot understand as they do not look things like women do and it is the case with men as well. They can see various things in their homes and societies that women are unable to see.
The story targeted killing of Wright by his wife. The major reason for his murder was that he was treated poorly to his wife and not in a manly manner. It means that poor treatment of an individual towards another can make a person so hyper that he or she can kill him for his or her solace and mental peace (Anwar, 2019). The author of the story has used various symbols to target life of different characters of the story.
Summary
For instance, the author has used the symbol of a birdcage to symbolize the life of Minnie, the wife of Wright. The bird and the birdcage is a symbol that is used in literature to highlight the forced role of a woman in society. The bird in this symbol is a woman and a cage is a symbol for a man.
It means that bird is used for representing Minnie in this story and cage is used for targeting Wright in the story. It is evident from the symbol that the bird is present in the cage that means that a woman is bound by a man in her life. She has to obey her orders to live her life and her sentiments and emotions have no value and she depends upon a man for her survival.
It was the major reason that Minnie strangled the life out of John Wright like he did to strangle the life out of her. In simple words, she was tired of various restrictions imposed on her by John and she tried to free herself of his restrictions (Kamir, 2017).
Moreover, she was aware of the fact that she cannot do that unless she kills her husband and she did it while he was sleeping in his bed to free herself from him and from his restrictions and boundaries in her life.
Who Killed John Wright
The title of the story is ironic and the major reason behind the fact is that woman around the accused women, Minnie is her peers and they are present to decide the fate of her despite the fact that none of them is a part of any appointed jury.
The thing that motivated Minnie to kill her husband was her sad and isolated life. She wanted a cheerful life but she was bounded by the rude attitude of her husband. She feared that he would kill her one day and it is the main fact that she decided to kill her husband before he kills her.
Her husband was a stubborn and a silent person and he did not talk to her (Anwar, 2019). In the same manner, John did not allow Minnie to talk to him and share her worries and ideas. Therefore, her life was sad and isolated.
She was a woman full of life and song before her marriage with John and when she thought of her previous life and compares it with her existing life she hated herself and her husband and she decided to end this story by killing her husband with a plan.
The story has some conflict as well. The most significant conflict of this story is that Wright John has been murdered in the story and no one is aware of this murder. However, the setting of this story shows a rural American community, Dickson County at the start of the twentieth century.
The setting of this story has a perfect match with the theme of the story and it is important to have a good setting for establishing an attractive plot for the story (Kamir, 2017).
However, the story is having some overriding expressions as well. For instance, feelings of having an empty life by Minnie that led her to despair and promoted her to kill her husband is overriding in this case and these are repeated over time.
The jury of peers is a fitting title for the story in the sense that Minnie has murdered her husband for his poor behaviour and her peers find out that she has killed her husband. They knew what it means for women to be treated like an animal and they all can feel the pain of Minnie.
Therefore, they acquitted her of this murder despite knowing the fact that she has killed her husband. The most significant thing in this regard is gender roles. A man can never understand the feelings and emotions of a woman like a woman can understand the pain and feelings of another woman. It is the major reason that the jury of peers acquitted Minnie of this murder (Anwar, 2019).
Why A Jury Of Her Peers is a Feminist Story
The story is in favour of feminism concept that killing of a man who does not treat a woman properly is good and the story is giving this lesson to other women as well to kill their men if they do not treat them well. In the same manner, the story is giving a lesson to women to unite and acquit other of murdering their husbands.
Therefore, I would say that the killing of John Wright is not fair in the story as it is giving a negative message to the society. Minnie murdered her husband in sleep that shows that he was not fighting with her, and he was not trying to murder her.
Therefore, it was not a matter of self-defence, and this murder was planned, and her peers supported her to hide this murder that is the anti-social and anti-human act, and I do not support the writer for this story.
References
Anwar, S. B. (2019). A jury of her peers: The impact of the first female jurors on criminal convictions. The Economic Journal, 129(618), 603-650.
Kamir, O. (2017). To Kill a Songbird: A Community of Women, Feminist Jurisprudence, Conscientious Objection and Revolution in A Jury of Her Peers and Contemporary Film. Law & Literature, 19(3), 357-376.
