The short story “Jury of Her Peers,” written by Susan Glaspell, describes John Wright’s murder investigations. In addition, the author provides the domestic context surrounding Mr. and Mrs. Wright, whereby she portrays the patriarchal system that ties women to housekeeping and family care. At the same time, the narrative exposes the relationship challenges experienced by married women due to stereotypical roles bestowed upon them, resulting in domestic violence. In particular, Susan Glaspell utilizes symbolism, including the bird-cage, broken stove, and dead bird, to portray the detrimental effects of the patriarchal system of dominance on human relationships and marriage.
Notably, the term “bird-cage” is used in the narrative to represent the physical oppression and neglect women experience while confined to house chores. According to Glaspell, women are not free to work outside their home, as stated by Mrs. Peter when she identified the bird cage in Mrs. Hale’s house and asked, “Here’s a bird cage…did she have a bird, Mrs. Hale?” (6). In this regard, Mrs. Peter alludes to society’s perception of women as confined in one place, at home, taking care of the family. As a result, the bird-cage symbolizes the constraints of patriarchal dominance that relegate women to the homemaker position, requiring them to be submissive to their husbands. According to Ifechelobi, the patriarchal system requires women to remain silent since society regards them as inferior (22). In turn, men usurp authority over women due to power differences between genders. As a result, women will always feel oppressed since they cannot express their concerns and wishes due to their diminished role. Hence, the bird-cage represents the psychological and emotional oppression that women are subjected to while trying to assert their rights under their husband’s leadership.
On the other hand, the broken stove is used as a symbol of dysfunctional relationships or marriages due to the patriarchal system of dominance that severs the emotional connection between husband and wife. For instance, while pointing at the stove’s broken lining, Mrs. Peters states, “A bad stove is a bad stove. How’d you like to cook on this” (Glaspell, 11). As such, the author implies that the stove cannot produce enough heat to bake or cook, which represents the lack of intimacy in a broken relationship. According to Mshweshwe, patriarchy constitutes the oppression and exploitation of women resulting in domestic violence (2). As such, patriarchal systems influence the distribution of power between men and women, whereby the former is regarded as more powerful than the latter. In turn, the power differentials result from reinforced gender roles that require women to be subservient to their husbands and perform house-related duties. As a result, the social structure of dominating patriarchal practices affects marriage and human relationships negatively due to the unequal distribution of power between genders. Therefore, the broken stove represents broken relationships resulting from exerting more power over women due to being considered inferior.
Finally, the dead bird in the narrative symbolizes hopelessness but a realization of the need to fight for women’s freedom of expression and the negative effects of patriarchal dominance. According to Glaspell, Mrs. Peter’s eyes stared at the “dead bird” and noticed “the broken door of the cage” (16). In this regard, the dead bird implies that even though women’s fight for gender equality seems hopeless, they continue agitating for their rights amidst rejection in a male-dominated society. Ifechelobi argues that identifying and recognizing women as human beings is crucial and that both genders should relate peacefully (18). In turn, women deserve similar alienable rights as men. As a result, women’s rights constitute basic human rights that confer equality rights to eliminate women’s oppression. According to Qasim, women’s passionate desires and feelings are often suppressed, and those seeking their identity and sexual freedom are regarded as ostracized by society (385). In this regard, society only accepts women who seek to do everything according to the desires of their husbands. Hence, the dead bird represents women’s struggle for recognition and sexual identity despite the societal expectation of women to submit to their husbands.
In conclusion, Susan Glaspell’s story utilizes a bird cage, broken stove, and dead bird as objects representing power differentials due to hierarchical consideration of power. For instance, men assume more power than women because society considers women inferior. In this regard, patriarchal systems perpetuate gender inequality rights which oppress and neglect women due preconceived notion that this gender should submit to their husbands. Society expects women to remain silent and not express their desires. As a result, the patriarchal system’s social structures and practices do not result in healthy relationships and marriages since women feel oppressed and sidelined. Therefore, the author accurately demonstrated the retrogressive effects of patriarchal dominance on human relationships using the symbolic representation of objects mentioned earlier.
Works Cited
Glaspell, Susan Cook. A Jury of Her Peers. The Crowell Publishing Company, 1917.
Ifechelobi, JN. “Feminism: Silence and Voicelessness as Tools of Patriarchy in Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus.” African Research Review, vol. 8, no. 4, 2014, pp. 18–27., doi:10.4314/afrrev.v8i4.2.
Mshweshwe, Linda. “Understanding Domestic Violence: Masculinity, Culture, Traditions.” Heliyon, vol. 6, no. 10, 2020, pp. 1–5., doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05334.
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