Feminine Oppression in The Yellow Wallpaper - 1589 Words

Women have always struggled to gain attention from men as well as equality with them. Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper has a dominant theme of feminine oppression. It is a symbolic work of literature because women in the era in which this story was published were treated in much the same way as the narrator was on a daily basis. Male dictatorship over women is rampant within the illness and treatment of the unnamed narrator, the characters in the story, and the many symbols that serve to confine the main character. They all work fluidly together to create a more tangible conclusion. A stand had to be made in order for women to achieve equality with men. Standing up to a man, however, was not permissible in nineteenth†¦show more content†¦The capability has always been there, the acknowledgement of that fact, however, has not. Women were confined by religious, political, and legislative restraints (Scott 15) during the early nineteenth century which deprived mar ried women of the right to own or inherit property, earn wages, or will goods (Scott 15). The mid nineteenth century was a turning point for women, as this was when they started standing up for their own rights. However, it was a difficult and extended process. In The Yellow Wallpaper, it is evident that even later in the nineteenth century, women did not command the respect that they deserved. John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage (Gilman 70.) No self respecting woman in the twentieth century would find it permissible for her husband to belittle her thoughts in such a derogatory manner. It was accepted behavior, however, when this short story was written. In fact, she later writes that she has become a little afraid of John(Gilman 79.) A romantic relationship should be an equal partnership, both members giving and taking proportionately. Like most other men in the late nineteenth century, John is uninterested in being his wifes equivalent. John has complete ascendancy over the unnamed narrator, because if being her husband were not enough, he is also her doctor. Doctors are creditable individuals, and the treatments they prescribe are followed closely. In theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper1060 Words   |  5 PagesYellow Walls A Prison Make Within the very first lines of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper,† the modern reader is slapped in the face with this off-handed remark, â€Å"John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage,† (792). Although the readers of today might not expect such belittlement in marriage, Gilman must have known that her contemporary readers would. Gilman published â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† in 1892, a time when all American women were expected to adhere to strictRead MoreAn Analysis Of Charlotte Gilman s The Yellow Wallpaper Essay1624 Words   |  7 PagesPublished in 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† may be approached as an American example of the female Gothic, a literary genre pioneered by English writers such as Horace Walpole and Ann Radcliffe. 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