Grimard 1
Marie-Christine Grimard
Professor Jean-Philippe Marcoux
ANG-1000 B
October 14, 2009
First Examination Part 1:
Metaphorical Use to Represent the Death of One’s Personality in Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury
of her Peers”
The use of the canary as a metaphor in Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peers” is used as
a parallel representation of Minnie Foster’s life. Throughout the story, Susan Glaspell uses the
parallel between the canary and Minnie Foster to show the reader a more vivid representation of
how Minnie Foster changed from a young, happy woman, to Mrs. Wright, a sad, lonely woman,
as a result of her marriage to Mr. Wright.
When the reader is introduced to the canary, Minnie Foster’s life has already been
revealed through the other characters' opinions of her, and by their analysis of her home. As a
result, the reader is able to form a distinct connection between the two. The cage is the first
aspect presented and therefore the first connection. It is used to represent Minnie being locked,
or caged, in her house. This image is formed by Mrs. Hale when she describes the house by
saying that: “It had always been a lonesome-looking place. It was down in a hallow, and the
poplar trees around were lonesome-looking trees.”(p.333) The connection is also highlighted by
the descriptions of the kitchen, the house and the surroundings as lonely and making Minnie feel
“shabby,” (340) “discouraged; and would make anyone loose heart.”(341) Minnie is like a
prisoner in her home, without having anything to live for. She has no children, no visitors, and a
husband who is not much of a talker, which is exactly like being trapped in a cage.
Grimard 2
The following metaphorical comparison shown by the author uses the similarity between
Minnie and the canary which represents Minnie’s life before marriage. “She was kind of like a
bird herself. Real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and fluttery”(344) and “she used to sing
real pretty.”(346) Throughout the story Susan Glaspell shows how Minnie’s personality changed,
and that she was no longer the person she was when she first married Mr. Wright. In the end,
Susan Glaspell represents the final change in Minnie by using the image of the dead bird that has
had the “life choked out of him”(346) to show that the person Minnie was before marriage was
killed by Mr. Wright, just like he killed the bird.
In the end, the reader has a clear metaphorical image that Minnie went from being a free
bird (free woman), to getting caught (married), being put in a cage (her house) and finally being
choked to death (losing her personality).
Grimard 3
Works Cited
Glaspell, Susan. “A Jury of Her Peers”. Story and Structure. Ed. Laurence Perrine and Tomas R.
Arp. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Joranonch, 1993. 333-346.