Character Analysis
Not trying to be a bunch of haters, but the Sheriff is kind of a waste of space. Hale doesn't do much in play either… but at least he has a story to tell. All that Mr. Peters' husband does is follow the County Attorney around like a little puppy dog. Really, he's a pretty one-dimensional character, whose main purpose is to show just how insensitive men's sexist comments can be.
Here are a couple of our favorites:
SHERIFF: Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves. (30)
SHERIFF: They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it! (The men laugh; the women look abashed.) (75)
Oh, that goofy Sheriff... what's he gonna say next? Since the Sheriff is a lawman like the County Attorney, his misogyny also points out the misogyny of a system of laws that women aren't allowed to take part in creating. The fact that he's married to Mrs. Peters, who rebels against this system, seems to heighten her act of rebellion. When she decides on giving obstructing justice a try, it seems like an even bigger deal because she's a lawman's wife.
It's sort of ironic, right? In the world of the play, Mrs. Peters is seen as "Married to the law;" she's only an extension of her husband (147). But when we analyze the play on a larger level, we see that the Sheriff was probably only included so his wife's actions pack more of a wallop. To readers and audience members, the only thing that gives Mr. Peters a reason to exist is Mrs. Peters.
How's it feel now, big man?