Comparison Essay - Comparing “Lamb To The Slaughter” by Roald Dahl and “A Jury Of Her Peers” by PDF

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Comparing “Lamb To The Slaughter” by Roald Dahl and “A Jury Of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell ...

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Living In A Man’s World For centuries, the capabilities of women have been questioned; women have only been viewed as housewives and mothers, putting them inferior to their male counterparts. There have been many instances in the past where bias has led many to question a woman’s involvement in crime, “Lamb To The Slaughter” by Roald Dahl and “A Jury Of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell being two examples. In these two short stories, several similarities and differences are shared between the plot, theme and characters. Mary in “Lamb To The Slaughter”and the three women in “A Jury Of Her Peers” all find ways to use sexism to their advantage. Through both stories, it is clear that gender and gender bias oftentimes lead to the obstruction of justice. The women of these stories are presented in scenarios that may not be understood by their male counterparts giving for an interesting yet perceived outcome. In “A Jury of Her Peers”, Mrs. Peters, Martha Hale and Minnie Foster are all used to show how gender can lead to prejudice and eventually the obstruction of justice. While reading this short film, it is important to make note of the setting of when this takes place because it plays an important role in the entire plot of the story. This short story serves to debunk the gender roles of that time that placed men in a more superior role than their female counterparts. During the time frame of this story, women were considered housewives which led to both isolation and a sense of inferiority. The plot of this story takes place a day or two after the discovery that Minnie Foster’s husband has been murdered. Martha Hale and Mrs.Peter accompanies their husband’s to the murder scene. As the detective, sheriff, and coroner continue to search for answers, Martha and Mrs.Peter decide to walk about the home. The two women

decide to bring Minnie Foster her quilting supplies, which results in them finding a box where the dead bird lay. A connection is instantly drawn between the bird’s death and Minnie Foster’s husband. Minnie Foster lived a lonely life, her husband being the only person she really spoke to. Martha Hale comments that, “Not having children makes less work, but it makes a quiet house -and Wright out to work all day-- and no company when he did come in” (Glaspell 9). This shows that Minnie Foster lived a childrenless and isolated life with a husband who was emotionally distant. John Wright was viewed as a “hard man” and their relationship took a toll on Minnie. It grows clear that Minnie Foster killed her husband because she began to realize the abuse she endured and could not do it anymore. Martha Hale and Mrs. Peter decide to side with their sex rather than the justice system and hide the piece of evidence that was most crucial for the investigation. The men, falling victim to the gender roles at the time, believed that the women were not intelligent and did not believe they would go against them. The coroner even jokes that, “Mrs. Peters doesn't need supervising. For that matter, a sheriff's wife is married to the law” (Glaspell 12). Meanwhile, Mrs. Peter played a role in the covering up of the needed motive. The prejudice associated with gender led to the freedom of a female killer. Likewise “A Jury of Her Peers”, “A Lamb To The Slaughter” takes place in a patriarchal society where gender bias leads to injustice. The justice system in a patriarchal society plays in favor of women, assuming them to be inferior and unlikely to commit certain crimes. The story commences with a pregnant Mary awaiting her husband's arrival but when he gets home, Mary notices that he is acting strange and moody. He addresses a serious matter which isn’t specifically stated but leads to Mary becoming enraged and bludgeoning her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. Mary was also a lonely housewife who’s only company was that of her

husband. Mary and Minnie, similarly, did not have any born children and committed their murders out of anger. What brought them both peace left because of their husband and it caused them to snap. Unlike Minnie, Mary covers up the crime herself. Mary decides to cook the lamb and go to the grocery store to establish an alibi. When law enforcement gets to the scene, Mary puts on a grieving wife front and persuades the men to eat the lamb that she had cooked which, in turn, destroyed the evidence The men tell her that “The murderer may have taken [the weapon] it with him” (Dahl 3). The detectives and policemen allow gender roles to cloud their judgement and after finding the cause of Patrick’s death, assuming it was a man who had done it. Jack Noonan, a detective and friend of Mary and Patrick, asks her “if she wouldn't rather go somewhere else, to her sister's house perhaps, or to his own wife, who would take care of her and put her up for the night”( Dahl 3). By suggesting two women, it shows that he views women as caretakers and could not see one committing such a heinous crime. The error in the judgement of the policemen and detectives will lead to yet another female killer being set free. In conclusion, “A Jury Of Her Peers” and “A Lamb To The Slaughter” share many similarities and differences. Both stories serve the purpose of proving that gender and gender bias lead to the obstruction of justice.. Women are penalized more lightly, if not at all, due to false pretenses and assumptions. Women in these two stories were viewed as the more intelligent beings, despite society’s preconceptions. The women were able to successfully aid in the detectives’ and police officers’ misguidance on both cases. If only the men in both stories trusted a woman’s capabilities....