Short Story Evaluation

Jake Winters
AP English
Mrs. Hoeve
2/19/15

Written Evaluation:
Both of these stories deal with social and moral standards of behavior between the sexes. Which story, in your estimation, deserves the higher ranking of literary fiction? Which gives the greater insight into significant human values? Support your decision with reasoned and thorough analysis.
I believe that “A Jury of Her Peers” deserves a higher ranking of literary fiction. It shows a greater insight into differences between sexes considering significant human values. In “A Jury of Her Peers,” we see the difference between the men and the woman as the men only look at the external evidence for the murder. Meanwhile, the woman look at the thoughts that must have been going through Mrs. Wright’s head. The woman dug deeper and also found the evidence of the dead bird. You figure out Mrs. Wright’s motive for killing her husband while the men all have no idea why Mrs. Wright did it. The woman then hide the evidence because they realize that Mrs. Wright did it because Mr. Wright was holding her back taking away anything joyful in her life. When she married him, it seems that she went from this outgoing and vibrant woman to a secluded and quiet woman. Mr. Wright also didn’t allow much contact with the outside world as he didn’t want a telephone in his house and it seemed like Mrs. Wright never came out much.
Finally, you realize that Mr. Wright killed the bird and that this was the last straw for Mrs.
Wright as she decided that she was done and she killed him. The woman investigating Mrs.
Wright see her reasoning and understand why she did it. Because of this they try to help her and make her not charged with murder. You see the difference between men and woman nature as the woman use intuition and deeper thinking in order to empathize with the other people. The men only look at the outside and choose their actions based on what they see. Comparing this

story to “A Municipal Report,” we see that there is also this oppressing nature from Caswell towards his wife Azalea Adair. But this is more of a background plot that doesn’t get revealed until the end of the story. The story isn’t as focused on the differences between the sexes as compared with “A Jury of Her Peers.” In that story, there are two distinct differences shown between men and women, while in “A Municipal Report” there are men with good natures but also some with worse natures. This doesn’t show the literary fiction’s purpose of broadening, deepening, and sharpening the reader’s awareness of life. In the first story, we are shown an insight into the different human natures of men and women concerning the action of the story. In the second story, we see an insight into the characters natures, but these insights are not as deep and the insights don’t do as much to broaden our awareness of life.