Forms of Literature (Keating's Goodreads Discussion forum) discussion

Within this weeks video, Mary Helen Washington discussed the sense of isolation in "A Jury of Her Peers" written by Susan Keating Glaspell. When reading this story, Glaspell gives us clues that the farm and Minnie were isolated. She does this with the setting and with comments characters make.
Not even a full age into the story, Glaspell begins to paint this picture of isolation in our minds by descriptions such as: "It had always been a lonesome looking-place. It was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees were lonesome -looking trees." Also, when giving his side of the story, Mr. Hale mentioned that "...in this lonesome stretch of road it would be a good thing-" when speaking about selling Mr. Wright a telephone. It was also mentioned in the text that it was half a days journey on a horse and buggy just for Mrs. Hale to visit Mrs. Wright. In the story it mentioned the cold north wind s the weather being cold on top of the distance made isolation even more prominent. On top of all that, the Wright's did not have children and it was said Mr. Wright was not much for socializing which would make Mrs. Wright feel alone and isolated from the rest of the world with none to talk to but the bird she had.
Glaspell did a wonderful job depicting how her characters felt through the use of the setting. This proves that setting is a viable piece to a story and it can set the mood from the very beginning.

The Wrights’ home is a place physically too far for anyone to visit frequently and emotionally detached from anyone who would want to visit. It’s “up a little hill” and down a path the characters visit during March, a place they enter only after a murder has been committed. One of the first descriptions of the house discloses that the characters are under the impression that the house is “lonesome-looking” and “‘never cheerful.’” Mr. Hale had suggested that the residence was in dire need of some linkage to other homes, other than the “lonesome stretch of road” surrounded by “lonesome-looking trees.” The deceased owner of the house, Mr. Wright, was not fond of the idea, “‘saying folks talked too much.’” Mrs. Hale also states that her and Mrs. Wright “live close together, and...live far apart,” adding to the physical and emotional detachment the characters have with the residence. Of course, this separation was an added cause to the crime, maybe if the house seemed more like a home, with visitors and laughter, instead of a disconnected household, the murder might have been averted.

In this week’s video, Mary Helen Washington touched upon the themes of isolation within the story “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell where Minnie Wright (Foster) allegedly murdered her husband, Mr. Wright. Although this piece had many themes intertwined within it, the one that is drenched with the most is isolation. From Martha Hale’s depiction of the house and it’s unwelcoming atmosphere, the reader gets the idea that Mrs. Wright who was once a happy, illuminating individual, was dwelling in an establishment where it seem odd to that she associates with such setting. With her placement there, she is isolated from her past life and having only but one beam of her hope for herself: the bird. The canary could been seen as a projection of Mrs. Wright since the bird “bright” and “luminous” and just like her is also “caged” in. With her house being described as an unwelcoming setting and the journey to her dwelling was promised with bitter, cold weather, the chances of her peers paying a visit was very low. Glaspell did an excellent job by using the setting to accentuate the characters bringing out the theme of isolation.

In this week's video, Mary Helen Washington described the sense of isolation in "A jury of her peers"by Susan Keating Glaspell. Such story gives multiple hints about the isolated place and the background story.
Staring with one of the most important characters Minnie Foster who lives in a very isolated location which was described as a farm. The story describes such place with "it has always been a lonesome looking place,down in a hollow and the trees were lonsome looking trees". Such place was never visited by anyone and was just as cold looking as its surroundings.Minnie Foster at first was described as a "happy person who loved to sing in the church choir".After her marriage with John Wright she had to change her personality and accomodate her husband's lifestyle,she was an austere housewife.Her happiness was gone, she could not longer sing.She was also isolated from love because her husband was a cold and unaffectionate indvidual.The main character was isolated from life and this affected her in a great range.After all Minnie made an important decision that marked her life and brought her back to life.
Isolation plays an important roll in this story,it helps the reader recognize and understand the tragedy of the past.

I do agree with you Julio ,that the author did accentuate the story with the use of multiple examples of isolation.
Also that the main character was described as a caged bird. That her freedom was taken away and withit her hapiness.
I belive that the setting of the story plays a great role in the story and helps the reader connect more with the story.

I agree with you Traci , throughout the story is more than evident that Mr Wright depends on his "bird".
Also that the author did a great job depicting how her characters felt throughout the story with the use of the setting.
This also shows that the setting is essential to give the story a more intense connection with the reader and story.

In this week's video, Mary Helen Washington described specifically on the sense of isolation in "A jury of peers" by Susan Keating Gaspell. She throughly describes the sense of isolation just with the setting alone.

Gaspell, begins the sorry by giving descriptive detail in order to give the reader a mental picture of the isolation Mrs. Wright experienced. The narrator of the story states "It had always been a lonesome looking-place. It was down in a hallow, and the poplar trees were lonesome" Giving the reader such a vivid picture on how alone and unpopulated the community was. The reader can begin to see the distance and isolation each family experienced in this small town. As the story continues to play out the narrator gives a further insight on just how distant and isolated people were. When Harry and Hale are at the Wright's house asking Mrs. Wright what exactly happened the narrator stats "so Harry went as fast as he could over the high road--the river's place, where there's a telephone, portraying that between each house there was some great distance and each member of this household was pretty isolated from their "neighbor".

In the short narrative, "A Jury of Her Peers," lay many different examples of isolation. For instance, the Wright's home, is a place itself isolated from most of the other homes, it is described as "always [being] a lonesome-looking place." Which further adds to the mood of the story, having an effect on the characters even, as it was stated that the reason no one visited was the atmosphere of the setting. Perhaps the isolation of the Wright's home was the reason that "it weren't cheerful," as Martha hale states was the reason she stayed away. In addition, the isolation was not only physical but emotional as well. For example, the reason the murder was committed was because of the emotional restraint and abuse the reader can infer John Wright put on Minnie Foster. Minnie Foster as described by Martha Hale was,"kind of like a bird herself. Real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and--fluttery." However, the burden of being married to someone as cold as Mr. Wright caused many changes in Minnie's personality as even Mrs. Hale herself stated, "How--she--did--change." The state in which she lived led to her eventual breakdown which took place in the form of murder. The build up of emotional and physical isolation and perhaps even abuse was the leading cause of her actions. In conclusion, Minnie Foster's only interaction was her canary, so when even that was taken from her, she took a leap of faith and ended the life of her tormentor, Mr. Wright.

In the Wrights family 'we see several points of isolation. Such as the loneliness that is perceived in the location of the house "It looked very lonesome this cold March morning. It had always been a lonesome-looking place. It was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees around it were lonesome-looking trees". Another point of isolation are described inside the home by Mrs. Hale "I could've come," retorted Mrs. Hale shortly. "I stayed away because it weren't cheerful--and that's why I ought to have come. I"--she looked around--"I've never liked this place. Maybe because it's down in a hollow and you don't see the road. I don't know what it is, but it's a lonesome place, and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes. I can see now--" we can see that the neighbors lasted years without seeing each other this is one of the reasons whereby the Wright's living in their own isolation.

According to this week’s video concerning the story “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Keating Glaspell, Mary Helen Washington points out that the effects of the setting by giving you a tremendous sense of this kind of isolation throughout the story. Which makes us imagine how thing were back then in the 19th century. Glaspell starts by mentioning how cold was and explaining us how it seen up to Mrs. Wrights place “It looked very lonesome this cold March morning. It had always been a lonesome-looking place it was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees around it were lonesome-looking trees.” It seems to tell us that not even one person has ever been their besides Mr. and Mrs. Wright. In the story Mrs. Hale starts to lament the fact that she has not gone to visit Minnie Foster (Mrs. Wright) throughout all this years but it also explains how woman couldn’t do so because of women’s lives "But I tell you what I do wish, Mrs. Peters. I wish I had come over sometimes when she was here. I wish--I had." Mrs. Peters mentions to Mrs. Hale "But of course you were awful busy, Mrs. Hale. Your house--and your children.” Which I could say that the reason why theirs also so much isolation is that Mr. and Mrs. Wright never had any children "never to have had any children around?" Her eyes made a slow sweep of the kitchen, as if seeing what that kitchen had meant through all the years “What it also makes you understand how the woman were also having that isolation in life was when Mrs. Hale mentions “We all go through the same things it’s all just a different kind of the same thing! If it weren’t why do you and I understand? Why do we know, what we know this minute? This shows that Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale also have that type of womanly live. Glaspell made a great job showing each and every characters view throughout the story which made the reader have a visualization along the story.

This week's lesson focused on how setting and character are related. In "A Jury of Her Peers" the setting reflects the lifestyle led by the Wrights, and the characters, as much as the reader, witness and undergo a feeling of "isolation" upon examining the setting. For example, although Mrs. Hale felt guilty for not visiting Mrs. Wright, she states that she did not do so due to the fact that the Wright's home, "never seemed a cheerful place." Mrs. Hale is referring to the idea that the Wrights were people who kept to themselves and never displayed signs of friendliness nor an incline to socializing. Thus, the setting implies that the owner's were an isolated couple. In addition, when Mrs. Hale comments that Mrs. Wright, "was kind of like a bird herself," we can imply that the bird cage represents the isolation that Mr. Wright brought into Mrs. Wright's life upon marrying her. The setting in "A Jury of Her Peers" presents an atmosphere of isolation by being a reflection of the characters in the story.

I completely agree with you Emile over the idea that the setting implies isolation because it is separated from most of the other homes in the community. The home's physical isolation reflects the isolation that Mrs. Wright feels. When it comes to Mr. Wright, however, the house represents his isolation in terms of being a cold person who had no friends due to his attitude.

There are a number of isolations suggested by the story "A Jury of Her Peers". The first type of isolation that is presented in the story is a physical isolation. This is when the narrator describe's the Wright place as always being a "lonesome-looking place" surrounded by "lonesome-looking trees". The narrator is able to make the reader understand that the Wright's house is isolated, without any neighboring houses. Additionally, the narrator mentions how the day is cold, which usually connotes a lonely or sad feeling. Another kind of isolation is internal. This is seen when the two ladies discover the bird cage. Mrs. Hale says,"'She--come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. Real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and--fluttery. How--she--did--change.'" This is indicative of Mrs. Wright's lonely state. This kind of isolation is sort of within Mrs. Wright, affection her emotional and mental state. These two types of isolation are suggested in "A Jury of Her Peers".

Eliana, i agree with the idea that the setting reflects Mrs. Wright. Upon marrying Mr. Wright, Mrs. Wright started to lead an isolated lifestyle in order to accommodate to her husband. The isolation that Mrs. Wright feels is mainly reflected by the birdcage since it holds back and separates one from freedom.

Dennia wrote: "In the Wrights family 'we see several points of isolation. Such as the loneliness that is perceived in the location of the house "It looked very lonesome this cold March morning. It had always been..."

I completely agree. There are different types of isolation in the story.

Traci wrote: "Within this weeks video, Mary Helen Washington discussed the sense of isolation in "A Jury of Her Peers" written by Susan Keating Glaspell. When reading this story, Glaspell gives us clues that the..."

I agree with you too Traci that Glaspell gives us clues about the farm and Minnie being isolated. It was great you mentioning how the farm looked all lonely "It had always been a lonesome looking-place. It was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees were lonesome -looking trees." Then also in the text is mentioned that it was a half a day’s journey on a horse and buggy just to visit Mrs. Wright said Mrs. Hale. But mostly what made all this so isolated was the fact that the Wrights didn’t have children .

Mary Helen Washington explains in the video how the story “A Jury of Her Peers” uses different types of settings to create a sense of isolation. First, the weather that is cold and can make difficult for some people to visit others. The place in which they lived was a farm that was to a long distance from other persons. Even her neighbor Mrs. Hale was not able of visiting her because there was a far distance between one and other and the several task that she need it to do at her own place. Mrs. Hale explains her regret of not having a social relationship with Mrs. Wright by telling “I wish I had come over sometimes when she was here.” This created an atmosphere in which Mrs. Wright was feeling alone. But, the same atmosphere of sadness never let others want to visit them. For example, Mrs. Hale explained this as she said, “I stayed away because it wasn't cheerful.” The second way in which Mrs. Wright can feel abandoned or isolated is in the role that women had in this time period. The women were only helpful for house issues. It had no value by itself and was only a property for their husbands. The character especially had no children which could create a more difficult relationship with her husband. The lack of freedom of Mrs. Wright can be seen in different symbols such as the birdcage. In my interpretation, the unification of women were represent as Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter hide the evidence. They try to take care of the death bird that represented her last moment as a free living being.

Dennia wrote: "In the Wrights family 'we see several points of isolation. Such as the loneliness that is perceived in the location of the house "It looked very lonesome this cold March morning. It had always been..."

I agree with you Dennia about the different ways the isolation was present in the story. Mrs. Wright was really miserable because when she was young she was the most cheerful person. But as Mrs.Hale she mentioned that she wished she had gone more often and seen Mrs.Wright because it might of not made what has been done in consequence of the isolation.

Mauricio wrote: "This week's lesson focused on how setting and character are related. In "A Jury of Her Peers" the setting reflects the lifestyle led by the Wrights, and the characters, as much as the reader, witne..."

I agree with your point of view in using the bird as the symbol of Mrs. Wrigth freedom but also isolation. This kind of symbols are helpful to represent the idea that the author wanted to share.

Dennia wrote: "In the Wrights family 'we see several points of isolation. Such as the loneliness that is perceived in the location of the house "It looked very lonesome this cold March morning. It had always been..."

I agree with your point of view. The author used the weather to create a reason why it was difficult to visit one and other. The cold create a feeling in the reader of loneliness.

A sense of isolation is most definitely involved in, “A Jury of Her Peers”. One form of isolation, in itself, would be the home in general. The Wright’s home is said to be located on a “lonesome stretch of road” giving a sense of isolation, to their place of dwelling, early in the story. Just by being on an lonesome road, an image can be placed off on a single home, alone, with no neighbors, no life and no energy; just a dull gray image. Another form of isolation, is portrayed to be in Minnie Foster herself. Mr.Hale, as he describes the scene to the county attorney, conveys Minnie Foster to be “kind of dull like” as well as one to “not [get] a bit excited”. This description gives the reader a sense of her personality as it may have been set forth to be stagnant to just a gloomy mood. Her emotions very well make sense though, as in the 1900s, women were left to be home alone having only their children as company, if they may have been fortunate enough to birth offsprings. So this isolation, in her own home, could’ve drove her to be such a gloomy and dead person in and out.

Andrew wrote: "Mary Helen Washington (from the video) points out that the effect of the setting in "A Jury of Her Peers" is "a tremendous sense of . . . isolation." Write a 150-200 word essay exploring the variou..."

In this week's video the story "A Jury Of Her Peers" is descried as having a very isolating setting. In addition, the story did have various isolating settings, starting off with the Wright's house in which the characters upon arrival described it as a "lonesome-looking place" accompanied by the decorations of some "lonesome-looking trees" and basically this gives us a good idea of the setting that Wright's house is in while also later on in the story giving us another detail in which the house had a feeling of depression and loneliness and all this links to the story in which perhaps it feels this way due to the events that occurred such as the murder and abuse or in other words conflict shared among the Wrights'. Furthermore, I believe the feeling of isolation mainly was focused on Minnie due to how no one ever came to visit her and was far from the community and local neighbors hence the feeling of isolation that was shared with the house as well. Also, the setting as far as climate goes was pretty bad in which it took place in a "cold March morning" as well as in the beginning there was a detail given in which it said that a "north wind" had came upon opening storm-door and this further enhances the main setting which is the house in which the majority of the story takes place and increases the feeling of how the characters and the reader get a deeper feeling of isolation in the Wright's house and is all tied and linked back to the main setting.

Perla wrote: "Mary Helen Washington explains in the video how the story “A Jury of Her Peers” uses different types of settings to create a sense of isolation. First, the weather that is cold and can make difficu..."

I agree in the way that you interpret other details not really important that may have a role in how the setting was given a feeling of isolation

Alvaro wrote: "There are a number of isolations suggested by the story "A Jury of Her Peers". The first type of isolation that is presented in the story is a physical isolation. This is when the narrator describe..."

I agree with you Alvaro in the basic idea that several factors contributed to the setting's feeling of isolation and the idea that in a sense a help create the atmosphere of isolation.

In this week’s video, Mary Helen Washington talks about the setting in the short story "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Keating Glaspell as an isolated setting. The story takes place at Mrs. Wright’s farm house that is isolated from other houses. The farm house is described by Mrs. Hale as “a lonesome-looking place". As the house is being described, the reader can imagine how the place looks like. The setting is not the only thing that is isolated. As Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find more clues about Mrs. Wright, it seems that Mrs. Wright is also being isolated. Mrs. Wright might be isolated by her husband because "she felt she couldn't do her part" as a wife. It’s only reasonable, because the story gives clues that it is taking place during the early 1900's, where women didn’t have the rights and privileges they deserved. This helps the reader think how Mrs. Wright might haven been treated by her husband. At the end, Mrs. Wright had enough with the way she was being treated and being isolated from her own rights.

Eliana wrote: "In this week's video, Mary Helen Washington described the sense of isolation in "A jury of her peers"by Susan Keating Glaspell. Such story gives multiple hints about the isolated place and the back..."

I agree with you Eliana, that Mrs. Wright is being isolated from her rights once she married Mr. Wright. Because she cannot do what she wants, she kills Mr. Wright so she could get her old-self back.

In this week video, Mary Helen Washington indicated several forms of isolation through the setting of “A Jury of Her Peers”. For example, the relationship between Mrs. Wright and Mr. Wright can correlate to Mary Washington’s statement. Since the timeline of the story takes place in the early nineteen hundreds, women were taught to stay at home and perform duties to maintain the house’s “beauty”. “It was a dingy red, with wooden rungs up the back and the middle rung was gone, and the chair sagged to one side.” The description of the placement of the “chair” and the missing “rung” can best describe the relationship of Mr. Wright and Mrs. Wright and how Mrs. Wright feels isolated with her emotions. Another form of isolation is the location of the home. The author uses the word “lonesome “to describe the placement of the house. The condition of the house and Mrs. Wright emotional status, demonstrates the different types of isolation that correlates to the setting.

In the story “A Jury in Her Peers” there is a lot of ways it is shown a sense isolation throughout the story, but the most obvious one is the symbolism of the bird in the cage. Mrs. Wright is compared to the bird because both of them liked to sing. Since, Mr. Wright “’wouldn’t like the bird,’ she said after that-‘a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that too.’” Mr. Wright didn't like the bird when it sang and Mrs. Wright wasn't allowed to do what she really liked to do so Mrs. Wright is isolated to sing because her husband doesn't like it and goes to even kill a bird. Another example, is that where they lived, Mr. and Mrs. Wright, is “up a little hill”. Just that little descriptions makes it sound very isolated from everyone in the city or town they live in.

Emile wrote: "Mary Helen Washington states that the setting in "A Jury of Her Peers" depressing and isolated because the Wright's home is far from any city or neighbor. For example, Mrs. Hale describes the house..."

I totally agree with you Emile, that perhaps the bird was a way for Mrs. Wright to distract herself from all the problems that she had with Mr. Wright. And I also agree that because her house was isolated from others, she didn't have many visitors including Mrs. Hale.

I would definitely say isolation is a huge motive in. “A Jury of Her Peers” and there are a variety of factors that come into play. Mary Helen Washington in the video stated she felt an incredible sense of isolation based on the story’s geographical and social conditions. I would definitely agree with her on this statement because the overall setting and tone of the story gives off that vibe of seclusion. In the story as the characters were approaching the Wrights’ place it was stated that, “It looked very lonesome this cold March morning . . . It was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees around it were lonesome-looking trees.” That statement gives us a mental projection of how the setting looks like: it’s cold, in a rural location, and very uncanny. Besides that, it’s not like the neighbors were anyway close to each other they were miles apart, so that’s another factor that shows us and makes us feel a sense of isolation.
With that being said, along with the setting of the story comes the social aspect of isolation among the characters. The characters were distant from each other, and Mrs. Hale herself wished she would’ve visited Minnie Foster now Mrs. Wright more often. From what the story tells us, The Wrights’ were very secluded people who had no children, nor any form of communication with anybody as far as I know. Mrs. Wright didn’t seem to have much joy in her life, and the only thing that kept her spirit alive was the canary. As Mrs. Hale said, she used to love to sing, and I know for a fact birds especially Canaries love to sing. We can get a sense of Mrs. Hale spirit through the bird, and when that’s suddenly taken away it’s tragic. The bird in the cage resembles her own life, she feels like she is in cage, and all she wants is just to be happy and free. That is another factor of isolation that the story gives off not just for Mrs. Wright herself, but the women in the story in general.
As you know, Women back in the 20th century and even before that were limited to basically just being housewives and such. Men were extremely misogynistic and some still are today, but I would say that also describes the isolation women felt in a male-driven world. Finally. I would say those are the primary factors of isolation in the story based on the geographical and social circumstances.

Mauricio wrote: "This week's lesson focused on how setting and character are related. In "A Jury of Her Peers" the setting reflects the lifestyle led by the Wrights, and the characters, as much as the reader, witne..."

I also stated that the story gave us a sense about the Wrights' and how they were very secluded people. Besides that, I also agree with your statement on how Mrs. Wright felt that she was kind of like the bird herself. The bird is a symbol or projection of her own spirit, and how she wants to just be happy and so on.

Emile wrote: "Mary Helen Washington states that the setting in "A Jury of Her Peers" depressing and isolated because the Wright's home is far from any city or neighbor. For example, Mrs. Hale describes the house..."

The setting definitely gives us that vibe of isolation, because let's face it as human beings we need some form of communication with each other. Without it, we'll go insane, and I think that's why Mrs. Wright did what she did.

The story sounded really isolated since the beginning. Just the fact that in order to reach the place they had to cross a hill. Mrs. Wrights did not have any children to lighten up the house, making the house a little more isolated. The place is describe as "always being a lonesome-looking place" makes you believe that it might even be deserted. There was no visitation of any kind making Mrs. Wright the only person to be at the house most of the day. The neighbors did not even visited this place because of the place was not a cheerful place to visit. Also it is mention in the story that a person would feel lonesome if they were the only one sitting in that house. Mrs. Wright suffered a lot because she was isolated from any kind of contact with another person. Isolation is not good for anybody and if a person is going through isolation, it would only take time to make that person explode. I do believe that isolation will make a person change.

In this week’s story “A Jury of Her Peers” it shows you various types of atmospheric settings that demonstrate the extreme isolation Mrs. Wright was hostage to. In the story you can get a vivid image of what Mrs. Wright was living with on a daily basis. "I've never liked this place. Maybe because it's down in a hollow and you don't see the road. I don't know what it is, but it's a lonesome place, and always was” Mrs. Hale explains. This description of the location gives you a better understanding of their surroundings. The Wrights home was isolated not only in distance from the rest of their neighbors, but how they lived as well. It was a home that always gave an uncomfortable solitary feeling, and is probably one of the reasons nobody would visit them. "She--come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself” that’s another way that you can describe being alone, since birds remain caged once they get captured. I think that was another way of describing how lonely it was to be in Mrs. Wright’s situation.

Miguel wrote: "The story sounded really isolated since the beginning. Just the fact that in order to reach the place they had to cross a hill. Mrs. Wrights did not have any children to lighten up the house, makin..."



I completely agree with you, I think isolation does make a person change in how they act and develop amongst their peers, it takes them to a breaking point and causes them to act out irrationally.

Emile wrote: "Mary Helen Washington states that the setting in "A Jury of Her Peers" depressing and isolated because the Wright's home is far from any city or neighbor. For example, Mrs. Hale describes the house..."

I agree with you Emile, the isolated setting drove away any possible company and added to Mrs. Wright's depression. I like that you related the isolation to the canary and the fact that it was the only source of comfort given the setting.

Miguel wrote: "The story sounded really isolated since the beginning. Just the fact that in order to reach the place they had to cross a hill. Mrs. Wrights did not have any children to lighten up the house, makin..."

I like your point of view of the story's isolation, and agree that Mrs. Wright must have greatly suffered. I think she had reached her limit and did in fact change when her canary died.

Mary Helen Washington paints a picture of isolation by describing the setting.  She does so by first describing the Wright's home: "It had always been a lonesome looking-place. It was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees were lonesome -looking trees." It is also mentioned that the house is located in a lonesome stretch of road and that it's half a days travel on a buggy.  The author also mentions that Ms. Wright had no children so the only company came from her bird.  The author also mentions that it was a cold March morning. Ms. Hale says that the place was never cheerful looking yet she still regrets never visiting Ms. Wright. The author also makes a connection with the bird and Ms. Wright. The caged bird symbolises Ms. Wright's lonesome life and when the bird was killed it's as if a part of her died.

Moy wrote: "I would definitely say isolation is a huge motive in. “A Jury of Her Peers” and there are a variety of factors that come into play. Mary Helen Washington in the video stated she felt an incredible ..."



I agree with you Moy, I also believe isolation is one of, if not, the biggest motive in this story. Not only physical/geographical isolation but being deprived from interacting and socializing with her peers might have caused her to hit a breaking point and compromised her mental health.

In this week's video, Mary Helen Washington discussed the topic of isolation. In the story "A Jury of Her Peers" isolation is introduced since the beginning of the story. When Mrs.Hale describes she mentioned it to be a home far away from everyone "it looked very lonesome this cold March morning it had always been a lonesome - looking place..." By the author writing saying this it gives the feeling of isolation and it blends perfectly with murder. isolation is also played into the story when Mrs. Hale says that she never visited the Wright's because it didn't seem to be cheerful. With this the house is again given a isolation feel to it. So in conclusion the feeling of isolation is present since the beginning and it stayed till the end.

In the story "A Jury of Her Peers", the setting plays a major role in the story. The setting gives the story and the characters a sense of isolation because first of all, the house that the story takes place in is located far away from any city. Second of all, in the story Mrs. Wright explains how she feels "caged" in her own home, giving her the feeling of being isolated from society by her husband. Mr. Wright made Mrs. Wright feel like she has to be in the house basically forever since back in that time period women couldn't leave the house, which is the reason why the house was isolated from society in the first place. Mrs. Wright also explains how she felt like if "she was kind of like a bird herself" since she was inside all the time. This demonstrates how she felt really lonely and isolated from everyone.

A Jury of Her Peers suggests both physical and non-physical isolation, both caused by the setting of the story. Most evident is the physical and temporal setting, an agricultural and isolated northern part of United States on a cold March day, respectively. The narrator describes the Wright home as a dismal and “lonesome-looking place” with “lonesome-looking trees.” There is physical isolation between Mrs. Hale and her neighbor Mrs. Wright caused by the distance between their homes, which in that time was a considerable distance that required a day’s trip. The overall remoteness and detached feeling about the setting creates this sense of physical isolation.
The setting also suggests non-physical isolation as well. Due to the physical isolation, there is a sense of social isolation—Mrs. Hale has not interacted with Mrs. Wright since she got married. The setting also describes the worn furniture and broken bird cage. The unrefined furniture may be symbolic of the rough and tiring feel to Mrs. Wright’s marriage, prompting emotional isolation within her own household. The bird cage represents Mrs. Wright feeling somewhat trapped in her marriage. In addition, taking the time period into consideration and its common prejudices against women create an emotional and social form of isolation as well for all the women involved in the story.

Jennifer (Guajardo), I agree that the emotional isolation contributed significantly to the story. It was mainly the emotional isolation that fostered Mrs. Wright's motives to murder her husband, as she felt so trapped.

Mauricio, I agree that the physical isolation between the two homes distanced Mrs. Wright from Mrs. Hale, and it also caused Mrs. Wright to become socially secluded and rather hermit like.

In "A Jury of Her Peers", the isolation of the setting is introduced initially throughout the story. The isolation of the setting around the Wright's home soak copiously into the characters. During Martha Hale's trip to the Wright's house, her conversation with Mrs. Peter's was abruptly stopped when they set eyes on the "lonesome looking trees" in the "hollow". "Seeing it did not make her feel like talking". On the outside, the isolation can already be determined by the lonesome appearance easily but with further reading, Mrs. Wright can be seen effected by the isolation. For example, a dead canary, found inside a box alludes to Mrs. Wright's life. 20 years ago Mrs. Wright, who wore "Blue ribbons" and "Sang in choir", had been Mrs. Hale's neighbor. Now, Mrs. Hale seeing her once lively neighbor move to an isolated, lonesome home in the prairies, felt she had "let her die for lack of life", like the dead canary dead in the box and was more than she could bear. The evidence of isolation is ubiquitous in not only the physical setting of the story but within the characters as well.

In this week's video Mary Helen Washington discusses the idea of isolation in which Susan Glaspell incorporates in her story "A Jury of Her Peers". Throughout the story, Glaspell gives off a sense of isolation I. Her description of the Wrights' home and of Minnie Wright. The home is depicted as a "lonesome looking place" that is "up a little hill" and apparently no one has the time to visit. A home Martha Hale states that "never seemed a very cheerful place." Portraying an image for the reader on how secluded the Wrights' home is from the local community. The characters Martha Hale and Mrs. Peters also describe Minnie Wright as a solitary individual who they once remember had "pretty clothes when she was a girl" and would stand up in choir to sing. All aspects that changed due to the isolation she had to endure from her home and husband. Susan Glaspell involves all these details to limn a sense of seclusion.

In this weeks video, Mary Helen Washington spoke about isolation in the story "A Jury of Her Peers" written by Susan Keating Glaspell. Throughout this story, Glaspell describes Minnie Foster's house as isolated. Glaspell gives this impression to the reader through the setting and the details of Minnie's house in the story. For example while Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters and their husbands were on their way to Minnie's house it said, "It looked very lonesome this cold March morning. It had always been a lonesome-looking place. It was down in a hollow, and the poplar trees around it were lonesome-looking trees." This sentence lets the reader know that the house in which Minnie and her husband lived in was isolated and always looked lonely. While Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were at the Wrights residence, Mrs. Hale says, "I've never liked this place. Maybe because it's down in a hollow and you don't see the road. I don't know what it is, but it's a lonesome place, and always has." Further into the story, Mr. Wright was not fond of the idea that Minnie wanted to get a house phone, he said,"folks talked too much." This sentence shows that Mr. Wright did not like to be around other people which gives us the idea that he liked to live away from civilization.

Eliana wrote: "In this week's video, Mary Helen Washington described the sense of isolation in "A jury of her peers"by Susan Keating Glaspell. Such story gives multiple hints about the isolated place and the back..."

I agree, at the beginning of the story, Minnie Foster was described as a happy person with a lot of life. Later into the story, after Minnie had married Mr. Wright, he isolated her and moved out far from civilization and that drastic change affected her life and turned her into a sad lonely person.

Miguel wrote: "The story sounded really isolated since the beginning. Just the fact that in order to reach the place they had to cross a hill. Mrs. Wrights did not have any children to lighten up the house, makin..."

Isolation does make a person change. Minnie Foster is a good example for that. Once in the story Minnie Foster was described as a happy person full of life but after she got married with Mr. Wright, he moved her in with him far away from any kind of civilization, so much to the point where he didn't want a phone line at their house, and this affected her so much and made her a sad and lonely person.

Andrew wrote: "Mary Helen Washington (from the video) points out that the effect of the setting in "A Jury of Her Peers" is "a tremendous sense of . . . isolation." Write a 150-200 word essay exploring the variou..."


In a Jury of Her Peers, one gets various descriptions of the different types of isolation that happen in the story. The setting of this particular story tells us a lot about what kind of solitude and desolation the characters experience and the first isolation type was geographic.
Throughout the story it is mentioned that the women did not visit each other that often because it took “half a day's worth” to get to the nearest neighbor. This tells us that the houses were far far apart, that it takes half a day to get to your neighbors house and that was time they could not take out of their day since they were busy women. The second type of desolation one can observe from the story is communicative or technological because in the story one learns that Mr. and Mrs. Wright did not have a house phone installed in their home because he did not like too much noise. This meant that they were cut off from hearing from others, not necessarily gossip but simply talking to others. The last type of isolation I will discuss is that which involves a disconnection from the spouse that leaves the other partner hanging. In the story, the way that the house is described by the men and the women indicate that it was a cold and dreary place to live in. The appliances and furniture were worn and torn and that symbolized the relationship of Mr. and Mrs. Wright, it was hurt and worn and it caused them to live disconnected from each other and resulted in isolation for both of them.