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Rose uses juror #8 who can see the whole trial because he is calm, reasonable and brings no prejudice as a prime example Of what a juror is supposed to be like. Juror #10 is the character who brings in the most prejudice to the jury room as he has formed his decision from the moment he saw the young boy and sees no reason for him to waste any time debating on whether the defendant is guilty. His prejudice comes from the fact he used to live in the “slums” and consider people like the defendant to be “trash”.
This is established when he states “you can’t believe a rod they say… They act different… They don’t need any big excuse to kill someone. ” Juror #10 never really considers the facts of the case only using them as a pretext to vote guilty and to leave early. When he found it too difficult to change people’s opinions he simply gave up and voted not guilty. “l couldn’t care less”. This shows just how little he cared for the defendant’s life and the jury system unlike juror #3 who deeply cared about the jury system and the case.
The 3rd juror is at first shown as a man who is rational and a person who lives in the facts of the case, however it is soon revealed that he is very emotional and has preconceived notions on the trial and the defendant. Juror #3 prejudices comes from the fact that it is a case involving a young boy who is charged with murdering his father as this is a reflection of his own bad relationship with his son. This is shown when he shouts “It’s the kids, the way they are nowadays. Angry! Hostile! This causes him to not listen to the other jurors opinions and block out any idea of the defendant being innocent. His rejoice is further understood when he says “this kid is guilty. He’s got to burn. We’re letting him slip through our fingers here. ” Juror #3 is only able to see the young boy on trial as a symbol of his own son and is therefore unable to look past his own anger towards his son and see the case for what it really is. It is only through the help of juror #8 does juror #3 finally let go of his personal prejudice and sees the truth about the case and changes his vote to not guilty.
Juror #8 is a calm and reasonable man which makes it easier for him to judge he case fairly and justly without any prejudice. Juror #8 never said he believed the defendant to be innocent he only wanted to take the role of being a juror seriously and talk about the case before a young boy is sent off to die. “I’m not trying to change your mind its just that we’re talking about somebody life here… We can’t decide in five minutes. ” Because he brings no prejudice in the jury room he is able to look at the facts and carefully decide on his judgment.
Juror #8 recognizes other peoples prejudice and tries not to convince them that the boy is innocent but to have them let go of that rejoice and decide based on the facts whether they truly believe the defendant is guilty or not. Rose uses both juror #8 and #11 to represent his views and values. Juror #8 being a prime example of what he believes to be the correct juror and juror #1 1 expressing rose’s on views on what a correct jury is supposed to be like. Rose uses juror #1 1 as a way to convey his own views and values to the reader. Juror #11 is an immigrant who admires the jury system and American democracy in general.
He tries to take his duty as a juror very seriously and also reminds the other jurors about their own responsibilities. ‘We have a responsibility… We should not make it a personal thing… You have no right to play like this with a man’s life. ” Whether it is from personal experiences or from one’s own narrow minded beliefs both juror #3 and #1 0 brings preconceived notions of the defendant to the jury room. It is only through juror #8 and that the other jurors are able to recognize the true purpose of the jury system and how important it is to come into a court room with an open mind and fairness to all.