gender roles

In a way, A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell is a story revolving around stock characters.  The story clearly separates the  men from women.  The men are stereotypical, sexist and cocky. The women also fit the stereotype of quiet, obedient wives who only cook, clean, and sew.  Even the sheriff's wife is kept apart from the men as they search the Wright house.  However, the "unusualness" of the story comes from the fact that the women are actually the ones who solve the mystery of the crime, and are therefore the focus of the story.  At one point, after talking with Mrs. Hale, the county attorney said " 'I'd like to talk to you about that a little later, Mrs. Hale,' he said.  'I'm anxious to get the lay of things upstairs now (par. 96).' "  This is his way of saying, "Whatever, I've got important manly things to do."  This kind of attitude is shown by all the men.  Even once the women discover Mrs. Wright's motivation for the murder, they don't prove their intelligence to the men by revealing the evidence.  Instead, they make their own judgement, deciding she was not guilty for the loneliness and depression she faced.  It is ironic that even after the stereotypes and gender roles are broken apart, the characters seem content to leave them as they are.