Twelve Angry Men

“Everybody deserves a fair trial. That’s the system. Listen, I’m the last one to say anything against it, but I’m telling you sometimes I think we’d be better off if we took these tough kids and slapped ’em down before they make trouble, y’know? Save us a lot of time and money.” 

The 3rd Juror utters these words at the opening of the jury’s deliberations, immediately highlighting one of the key tensions at the heart of the play: the interplay between the supposed objectivity of the justice system and the influence of personal prejudice. While the 3rd Juror acknowledges that “Everybody deserves a fair trial” in America, his next remarks reveal his own biases. He has already made up his mind: “[T]ough kids” are the problem, and if anything, they deserve to be “slapped […] down” more often to avoid wasting “time and money” upon them. The 3rd Juror’s use of “tough” foreshadows the context of the accused’s troubled upbringing that the reader will learn more about. His reference to troublesome “kids” also hints at the bitterness the 3rd Juror feels on account of his estrangement from his own son, which will shape his role in the play.

“I run a messenger service. ‘The Beck and Call Company.’ The name’s my wife’s idea. I employ thirty-seven people […] started with nothing.” 

The 3rd Juror’s boast about his successful company serves as a stereotypical example of the American Dream. The 3rd Juror takes pride in both his entrepreneurial success (“I employ thirty-seven people”) while also emphasizing his self-sufficiency by claiming he “started with nothing.” The 3rd Juror represents the more materialistic, self-satisfied aspect of the American Dream myth, which perhaps explains why he regards those from less fortunate circumstances—such as the accused and his poor Harlem community—with contempt instead of compassion.