How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
SHERIFF: Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: I guess before we're through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about. (30-31)
This is the first set of lines that shows us a split between the world of women and the world of the law. More than that, it's showing us that in this play the world of the law is the world of men. Silly "woman stuff" like cherry preserves isn't nearly as important as the all-powerful male dominated law. What do you think? Are the men right to think Mrs. Wright is being ridiculous? Or are they being insensitive jerks?
Quote #2
MRS. HALE: I'd hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticising. [...]
MRS. PETERS: Of course it's no more than their duty. (51-52)
Here we see the line in the sand between these two ladies. Mrs. Hale is already raring to defend Mrs. Wright from male law enforcers. But, at this point, Mrs. Peters is still pretty much on the side of the law. Where do you think most of the audience is at this point in the play? Whose side are we on? Does it change?
Quote #3
MRS. PETERS: Mr. Henderson said coming out that what was needed for the case was a motive: something to show anger, or—sudden feeling. (69)
We get some juicy irony in this line. All through the play, men and their laws are equated with cold rationality. So it's ironic that in order to convict Mrs. Wright the men have to find evidence of sudden, irrational anger. Since the men are almost crippled with a Spock-like dedication to logic, they're pretty much the worst possible people to solve this crime.