Juror Five
Juror Five is intimidated easily by the strong personalities of the Jury. However, as the play wears on, he gains confidence and is able to express himself. He cares about his position in the case and takes it seriously. He grew up in the slums where he watched knife fights. This gives him valuable insight to the knife in the case and his experience helps sway the Jury toward a not guilty verdict.
Evidence
Intimidated Easily At First
Act I, Page 317, Column 1: Each of the Jurors are stating their reasons for voting "guilty" in attempt to sway Juror Eight. By the time it is Juror Five's time to speak, the debate has become heated, with Jurors Three and Ten speaking out of order. Intimidated by their forceful personalities, Five simply says, "I'll pass it," and chooses to stay neutral for the time being. He seems to be afraid to take a side.
Act I, Page 320, Column 1: Eight, Ten, and Three are arguing whether the suspect lied about dropping his knife through a hole in his coat pocket. Three and Ten raise their voices, strongly insisting the boy lied. Ten says it's a stupid question, that of course the suspect lied. Eight turns toward Five and asks his opinion. According to the stage directions, Five can't answer immediately. He looks around nervously. His nervousness implies that once again, he is intimidated by the strong personalities of Three and Ten (and possibly Eight). What's more, his reply is neutral to the two conflicting opinions, just like in the previous example. He says, "I...I don't know."
Gains Confidence
Act III, Page 334, Columns 1-2: When Seven calls Eleven an arrogant immigrant who came to America “running for his life,” Five speaks up. He says to Seven, “Wait a second. Nobody around here’s asking where you came from.” A Few moments later he adds, “Maybe it wouldn’t hurt us to take a few tips from people who come running here! Maybe they learned something we don’t know. We’re not so perfect!” At this point in the play, Five is finally finding his confidence to speak against his elders.
Act III, Page 336-337: When the vote changes to nine not guilty and three guilty, ten begins a very angry and opinionated monologue. He disregards any evidence presented and begins making strong generalizations about the suspect’s character. While Ten is speaking, Five stands up from the table and goes to the window. This acts as a signal. Soon, the rest of the Jury rises from the table and look out the windows with their backs facing Ten. This was a bold move by Five. He directly defied Ten, who greatly intimidated him in Act I. This is another example of his new-found confidence.
Slums & Knife Insight
Act I, Page 318, Column 1: Some of the Jurors are discussing the suspect’s social background. When Four adds, “We’re not here to go into reasons why slums are breeding grounds for criminals. They are. I know it,” Five becomes offended. He replies, “I’ve lived in a slum all my life…I used to play in a backyard that was filled with garbage. Maybe it still smells on me.”
Act III, page 335-336: After Two mentions he is suspicious of the downward angle of the stab wound, the Jurors begin discussing it. Suddenly, Five jumps in, remembering that he saw knife fights as a child. When Eights asks where, he replies, “In my backyard. On my stoop. In the vacant lot across the street. Too many of them. Switch-knives came with the neighborhood where I lived…Anyone who’s ever used a switch-knife would never have stabbed downward. You don’t handle a switch-knife that way. You use it underhanded.” His statement begins to sway the guilty opinion of Twelve. This not only shows the importance of his knife knowledge, it also reinforces that he grew up in the slums.