...Gender roles have always existed, but Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper” shows how these gender roles had extreme consequences for women in the 1900’s. “The Yellow Wallpaper” addresses several topics in De Beauvoir and Gilbert and Gubar’s texts by illustrating the passivity forced onto women, the aura of mystery that subsequently surrounds the feminine, and the mental illness that inevitably follows. Gilman’s text is a tale that warns of the dangers of forcing inactivity onto women. The narrator’s husband, a physician named John, diagnoses her with a “temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency” (Gilman 648). He prescribes for her uninterrupted isolation: a “rest cure.” This was a common treatment for hysteria...
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...Women Run the World The gender role in society are changing compared to how they were in history. There's always been a gap between women and men because women are supposed to be submissive to men, giving men all this power over woman. However, today many women are developing masculine traits such as working and fulfilling their career goals. Many women are leading large companies and owning their own businesses. Women and men are not equal due to the fact that there are different privileges for both genders. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Henry Isben’s play A Doll’s House, both introduce women who are capable of emasculating men. In “ The Yellow Wallpaper” and A Doll House, both texts explore the themes of gender through power and madness in a female. The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” is classified as a crazy/mad woman, while the main character in A Doll House, Nora, proves her madness once she is exposed to power. In a marriage, lack of understanding/communicating of a partner can lead to the other partner experiencing madness. In fact, the main character in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a wife of a physician and he tries to controls her. Since the husband is a physician, the protagonist can not argue with him. For instance, Gilman writes, “ But John says if I feel so, I shall neglect proper self-control; so I take pains to control myself…” (page 77). The wife mentions how she takes ‘pains’ to control herself, indicating that she has...
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...play the dominant role in decision-makings. Generally, male chauvinism is one of the major issues caused the gender discrimination. For instance, according to the Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman used the first person narrator to narrate that in order help her recover from the nervous depression, her husband stopped her from doing everything except taking a rest (Gilman 1899). The author used this narrative point of view to express how she was ignored, but incapability had no choice to change it. Moreover, the author intentionally emphasized her husband’s high social status while comparing with her menial work, which strongly represents the imparity between men and women. Through this writing style, Gilman modeled this female protagonist with unlimited potential but did not get acceptance, was asked to give up writing and even her imagination was deprived. All these details symbolized that she was bound up in fetters of male chauvinism. Furthermore, Gilman used abundant descriptions of the repellent yellow wallpaper and her attitude to express how tightly she was tied by the male chauvinism. Especially, this dull yellow wallpaper plays a vital role in symbolizing the discrimination of women, which strongly affected Gilman’s mind and finally made her crazy (Gilman 1899). For looking at this ironic yellow wallpaper, Gilman saw a woman who was imprisoned like her, so she attempted to struggle to the free of herself, which effectively shows how humble the woman social roles were. Also, as...
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...With over 200 written works, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s career as a writer is a force to be reckoned with. Many of her works, such as the ever popular The Yellow Wallpaper, are considered classics and remain relevant in today’s society. Gilman is most popular for her work deciphering women’s roles and treatment in society in the past and during her life. Gilman’s works are relatable to all women who have experienced or are experiencing oppression by society. Gilman’s feminist outlook is clearly seen in her academic works as well as her short stories. Especially in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, feminism was starting to accumulate among women of all ages. Gilman has been compared to other great feminist writers such as Simone de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan and they all share a common theme: their personal life correlates with their writing. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s personal struggles with oppression contribute to her success as a feminist writer, as exemplified in her works Women and Economics, Herland and The Yellow Wallpaper; Gilman’s controversial opinions on male dominated societies and women's rights label her as an icon for implementing social change in the 18th/19th century because she steers away from traditional Victorian gender roles. Born in Hartford, Connecticut on July 3rd, 1860, growing up was difficult for Gilman and her brother as her parents split due to their different views on women’s rights. Her father’s family was very liberal and believed in freedom...
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...Fighting for Feminism With a Fetus: “Hills Like White Elephants” The empowerment and the continual push for equal status for women has become widely popular and successful in recent history. Women have stepped out of traditional roles of the housewife and mother to become the submissive doormat to more assertive natures. Many controversial issues surround women`s crusade of freedoms including the widely debated right to choose what they do with their body, referring to an abortion in “Hills Like White Elephants” and depression in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Gender roles had an impact on the woman in the short story “Hills Like White Elephants”. The personal evolution of the female protagonist can be divided into four major steps, the first revolves around the typical submissive and passive behaviour expected of a women. Through the ordering of drinks this demonstrates the gender role of male dominance and female submissiveness. The controlling manner displayed by the male character through ordering drinks is a stepping stone into his relentless pushing for her to receive an abortion. His oppressive nature is not only reflected at the bar but more importantly he displays a chauvinistic attitude in regards to the abortion as he states, “it`s really an awfully simple operation, Jig. Its not really an operation at all”(476). She attempts to downplay the procedure and with the continual pushing she agrees to do the procedure stating, “I don’t care about me. And ill do it and then everything...
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...you...” – Anon. Discuss the way in which women writers use the concept of motherhood as a gender-divide to explore the themes of entrapment and escape in literature. Since the 19th century, the broader sense of literature as a ‘totality of written or printed works’, and the foundational means of communicating information or ideas, has given way to a range of more exclusive and specific definitions. The rapid growth of adult literacy, combined with economic, social and political developments have vastly increased the sheer spectrum and quantity of subject matter and forms which fall under this umbrella term, forcing the need for greater categorisation in order to make ‘literature’ more accessible to the general reader. The resulting categories which attempt to standardise this process may take many forms, including observation of the structure or literary genre of the text (for example, categorising the text as a novel, poem, report or article) or perhaps the particular literary period or movement, which will link all associated texts with underlying principles or stylistic traits, such as the Romantic era or Post-Colonial literature. However, due to a long-standing patriarchal tradition dominating the history of literature- a literary practice challenged and corrected by the rise of the Feminist movement, particularly following the introduction of universal suffrage in 1928- the gender of the author has also become a means by which works may be categorised and interpreted,...
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...The unnamed female main character in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is put in an isolated mansion by her husband, a doctor, to help with her “nervousness” or hysteria. She is infantilized by being kept in a nursery and treated like a child by her husband. In addition to being patronized, she is also forbidden to work or even see her baby as it is believed she must solely rest. Her perceived as well-meaning husband gaslights her feelings and experiences, in an attempt to help reduce her “nervousness.” The main character’s disjointed, secretive journaling of her feelings represents her spiral into psychosis due to her isolation and treatment by her husband. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” reflects on the treatment of women’s mental health and how marriage and gender roles reinforce this treatment. At the beginning of the story, she describes how she is staying in a colonial mansion that is being let to them cheaply. She describes her husband’s disdain for all things that are not logical and...
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...Dementia is an illness that affects the brain and memory and makes you gradually lose your intellectual capacity to behave properly. On the surface of “The Yellow Wallpaper” we see a woman driven insane by depression. However, an examination of the protagonist’s actions reveals that the story is in fact way deeper that what it seems. The woman goes through various scenarios at her stay in the house: the relationship between her and her husband, and the relations between the yellow wallpaper and her inner self. Since the story is told by the narrator, the point of view is also made by the same. The first scenario is one of a very delicate touch, since it is still seen in the present time, though lesser than at the time the story was written. When the narrator’s husband says “bless her little heart; she shall be as sick as she pleases” (Gilman) it’s clear the childlike treatment given to her. The fact that he says “she shall be as sick as she pleases” follow the way a kid would be treated when injured, as of a way to escape from chores. Besides all of this, there’s also the gender subordination. It’s clear that the husband, a well-known doctor, is in power in the relationship and would always have the right decisions. Throughout the story we see the repetition various quotes where the beginning would be “He said”. Once again it is notable the power the husband has over the wife, everything he says is seen as a law in the household they share. Once the wife started stating how...
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...Jenna Canam Dr. Rhoda Zuk ENGL 1170 2 February 2016 Gender Roles and Social Class in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “Revelation” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-Paper” illustrates the hardships that woman suffered during this time period, physically and mentally. John is the perfect example of what a dominating spouse is like, a man who is in complete control over his wife. “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage” (Gilman 3). John laughs at his Wife’s ideas and thoughts, he never took what she had to say in a serious matter. It is clear by Jane’s statement that this is what what was expected in society during that time period. The authors views on feminism are shown through both the dialogue and thoughts of Jane. Jane’s need to express her thinking breaks through some social barriers during this time period, “I did write for a while in spite of them” (Gilman 3). Jane feels depressed when she is unable to express her thoughts through writing, as writing was the only way she felt free of those thoughts. She feels tired of hiding from her husband and society, but Jane also feels societies pressure to remain under the care of her husband. “He takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more” (Gilman 4). Even though John has eliminated all control from Jane’s hands, making her feel like a prisoner, she feels societies pressure to worship him and agree with his way of thinking of being in complete control. ...
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...Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, I didn’t know a great deal about its social and historical context. I read it as a story about a woman’s descent into madness, and knew enough to know that in the Victorian period women were often denied their freedom and independence. As a result I was able to sympathise with the woman in the story. However, after detailed research into the context of the novella, my appreciation of many aspects of the story was enhanced in several ways. My sympathy for the unnamed narrator was greatly intensified because I became aware of the ways in which she was victimised and controlled in the name of ‘love’ by her husband and medical supervisor, John. Knowledge of context enabled me to appreciate different complexities of meaning in particular details of the story including the symbolism of the yellow wallpaper, the bedroom, and references to writing. Finally, my knowledge of context enhanced my appreciation of how the story is written. As a first person narrative the novella encouraged me to have some sympathy for the unnamed woman. However, my knowledge of context allowed me to appreciate the importance of point of view at another level, namely its significance in giving the female victim a voice. I have thus gained an appreciation of the political dimension of the story – the way it raises issues of power, which I might otherwise have not understood. One of the things that has helped me appreciate The Yellow Wallpaper more is my extended knowledge...
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...Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and its contemporary criticism Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” in a time when it was customary to consider women as the weaker sex, and in need of constant care and protection. There has been an overwhelming amount of literary criticism throughout the following century, with the purpose of establishing Gilman’s message. Most critics seem to agree that it is a strongly feminist text, targeting the patriarchal society of the late 19th century. Elaine Hedges sums up the most common readings of “The Yellow Wallpaper” in her essay. She herself then argues that the text’s essentially feminist point is emphasized by the fact that the narrator is destroyed by society, where she can never get free. Initially, she debates between two possibilities of what happens to the narrator in the end: she is either liberated in her madness or is defeated by it. Then she proceeds to consider the implications of the wallpaper itself. According to critics referred to by Hedges, the entangled pattern of the wallpaper itself represents a crucial text and it has been argued that this text is not written by the narrator. Instead, it is the text of social conventions and rules presented to her by her husband, and through him by the male-dominated society, where she is not allowed to write her own story. This is one of the reasons why her text then becomes “hopelessly encrypted in fantasy” (Hedges 225). Other interpretations connect the...
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...Carolyn A. Holley English 227 27 June 2010 The Yellow Wallpaper: Analyzing Literary Madness A short story about a new mother, happily married to a doting husband-who also happens to be a well respected doctor- relaxing at a manor in the countryside does not sounds like the beginnings to a tale of paranoia and psychosis; but in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper it is exactly that. The setting in this story is what gives it its depth and gives relevancy to the plot. The Yellow Wallpaper gives insight into the deranged mind of woman whose obsession and delusions about particularly hideous wallpaper that causes her mental and physical state to creep into darkness. Gilman, herself, suffered from postpartum depression and had a history of mental illness which is the reason the story reads so convincingly. The author’s views on feminism and women’s roles in society in her own life and setting also come into play repeatedly throughout the story in the interactions with the main character. Imagine a sprawling colonial mansion surrounded by lush gardens, filled with airy rooms and rich furniture is what you find yourself calling home. Jane’s loving husband, John, takes care of all the finances, there is a nanny, Mary, to take care of your child, and your precious sister-in-law, Jennie, to keep the house in order fills the mansion with life. Does this scenario sound bad in any way to the? From the perspective of the main character this is absolute torture. The setting...
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...everything around her. She begins to see herself having a long period of living for her self. She feels trapped by the societal defined gender role, which forces men and women to be answerable to one another in marriage. The setting of this play is Mrs. Mallard’s bedroom. She decides to separate herself from the others after the news to be able to understand her feelings and effectively express herself. She is described as the ideal wife with a calm face and a pleasant disposition. Despite this, she ironically found joy in her husband’s death. This can be described as her ability to fit into the society while secretly nursing the desire to be free of all societal expectations. Also, in the 1800’s when this story was written, women were seen in respect to their husbands. They were not accorded any form of individual identity. The tone of this story was sad and ironically happy. At the point when her happiness was as a result of the freedom that she would have at her husband’s death, the tone was happy. Her death was even sadder than the supposed death of her husband. She died for daring to hope for the freedom that was not true. This is why her death was described as one, which comes from the joy that kills. It is rather unfortunate, as the husband will have no idea of the real cause of her death. Like the first story, “the yellow wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gillman also describes the feeling of entrapment felt by...
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...Concept of liberty and femininity in The Yellow Wallpaper and The Awakening I decided to examine the concept of femininity and liberty in a short story “The Yellow Wall-paper” from the American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman and in the book “The Awakening” from Kate Chopin. I chose these two books in order to demonstrate how society in the nineteenth century treated woman and how those woman were trying to escape from this concept. Femininity refers to set of behaviours and roles which are appropriate for women and judged by certain culture. In the nineteenth century were women expected to stay at home and wait for their husbands´ return each evening. Women should have these four attributes: piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity. (Rula Quawas,2006) Women who had these attributes were considered happy and satisfied. It was also believed that there is a sharp line between home, the woman sanctuary, and the economic world because it is a hard world only for men. The Yellow Wallpaper The story begun with moving of the main hero and her husband to the colonial mansion. Her husband´s name is John and he is a high standing physician. They moved for a while because she had to undergo a rest-cure. This method of treatment of the main hero of The Yellow Wallpaper is Dr. Mitchell´s rest-cure for women which included no intellectual stimulation and no writing. Her brother is a physician as well and agrees with her husband, but she doesn’t think that the way they cure her is...
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...by SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY (29 Dec 2014 03:14 GMT) The Pedagogical Possibilities of Covering Gilman’s Wallpaper Karla J. Murphy In his introduction to The Pedagogical Wallpaper, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock notes how the pedagogical diversity of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-Paper” prompted him to collect essays for this book. He goes on to explain that “given the ubiquity of the text within various academic settings, I was also struck by the absence of attention to the text within pedagogical contexts. Despite the large (and steadily growing) body of criticism to the story, very little of it explicitly addresses its importance as a tool to facilitate learning or various ways in which to make use of the text in the classroom” (3). As a collection, Weinstock’s The Pedagogical Wallpaper contains informed, detailed, and diverse analysis that attempts to shore up the absence of “pedagogical possibilities” concerning Gilman’s transgressive short story (9). Among the contributors are a MOO space specialist, a Gilman scholar, a queer theorist, an existentialist, a formalist, and several reader/student-response theorists. Because each essayist presents a distinct critical perspective on Gilman’s text, each essay is likewise concerned with “how the narrative teaches and how to teach the narrative” (5). Thus, it seems to me that Weinstock’s The Pedagogical Wallpaper resonates with Pedagogy’s conviction that teaching is central to our work as scholars and educators, no matter...
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