A Jury Of Her Peers By Susan Glaspell

Though these words may make their appearance in similar text, they have different meanings. While sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that another person encounters, empathy involves putting yourself in in the shoes of another. In Susan Glaspell’s short story, A Jury of Her Peers, Martha Hale demonstrates both of these commonly confused words. Martha Hale, the wife of Mr. Hale, is a resident of the farm close to the property of the Wrights’. Mrs.Hale used to be good friends with Mrs.Wright, commonly known as, Minnie Foster. In the beginning of the short story, Mrs.Hale revisits the home of the Wrights’ and speaks with Mrs.Wright. Planning on reuniting with Mr.Wright as well, Martha finds outs that she cannot speak with him because he has passed. “He died of a rope around his
(Glaspell 4) Hesitantly explaining the seeings of the crime scene, Mrs.Hale joins Mrs.Peters, Mr.Peters, Mr.Hale, and Minnie to investigate the crime. The people that Mrs.Hale joined criticizes the Wrights’ home and sees it as dirty and unkempt, but with Mrs.Hale being a farm wife as well, she understands why the house looks the way it does. “There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm,” says Mrs.Hale defensively. (Glaspell 6) With Mrs.Peters, the sheriff’s wife, not being familiar with Minnie Foster, Martha repeatedly points out how uncheerful the home is. “But i dont think a place would be any the cheerfuller for John Wright’s bein’ in it,” says Mrs.Hale. This quote emphasizes that Martha knows Mr.Wright and recognizes it is impossible for an individual to be happy if living with him. Outside that home people see him as a good man, but personally he is the opposite of well-behaved. As the others observe the house critically, Martha does so sympathetically. Trying to help Mrs.Peters create a connection with Minnie Foster, Mrs.Hale gives a brief description of the young Minnie Foster