A Jury of Her Peers is a short story by Susan Glaspell that explores themes of gender roles, justice, and empathy. Set in a rural farmhouse, the story follows two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, who accompany their husbands—one a sheriff, the other a neighbor—as they investigate the mysterious death of John Wright. While the men search for hard evidence upstairs and in the barn, dismissing the kitchen and its contents as insignificant “women’s things,” the women begin to notice subtle clues in the domestic space that suggest emotional abuse and isolation suffered by Wright’s wife, Minnie.
As the women uncover signs of Minnie’s psychological distress—like an unfinished quilt and a dead canary with a wrung neck—they piece together the motive behind the murder: years of emotional neglect and control. Instead of revealing their findings to the men, they silently agree to protect Minnie, understanding her pain in a way the men never could. A Jury of Her Peers challenges traditional definitions of justice and highlights how women’s perspectives were historically overlooked in legal and societal matters. Through its subtle but powerful narrative, the story critiques gender inequality and the value of empathy in uncovering truth.
