Female Inferiority In Mackinnon's The Yellow Wallpaper

"The Yellow Wallpaper" tells the story of a woman living in the nineteenth century who suffers from postpartum depression. The true meaning implicit in Charlotte's story goes beyond a simple psychological speculation. The story consists of a series of cleverly constructed short paragraphs, in which the author illustrates, through the unnamed protagonist's experiences, the possible outcome of women's acceptance of men's supposed intellectual superiority. The rigid social norms of the nineteenth century, characterized by oppression and discrimination against women, are supposedly among the causes of the protagonist's depression. However, it is her husband's tyrannical attitude what ultimately

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is about a creative woman whose talents are suppressed by her dominant husband. His efforts to oppress her in order to keep her within society's norms of what a wife is supposed to act like, only lead to her mental destruction. He is more concerned with societal norms than the mental health of his wife. In trying to become independent and overcome her own suppressed thoughts, and her husbands false diagnosis of her; she loses her sanity. One way the story illustrates his dominance is by the way he, a well-know and

As a woman, the narrator must be protected and controlled and kept away from harm. This seemed to be the natural mindset in the 19th century, that women need to have guidance in what they do, what decisions they make, and what they say. John calls her a “little goose”(95) and his “little girl”(236), referring her to a child, someone who needs special attention and control. His need for control over her is proven when she admits that her husband is “careful and loving and hardly lets me stir without special direction”(49). John has mentally restrained the speaker’s mind, she is forced to hide her anxieties, fears and be submissive, to preserve the happiness of their marriage. When the narrator attempts to speak up, she is bogged down and made guilty of her actions. Her husband makes her feel guilty for asking, he says, “‘I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake, as well as your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind!’”(225-226). By making her feel guilty for her illness, John has trapped her mentally from speaking up about it, convincing her that she must be more careful about her actions. Men often impose the hardships placed upon women during this era. They are often the people reassuring them of their “womanly” duties, and guiding them

He is willing to sacrifice and not have her if it keeps her safe. To escape collectivism

This connects to the topic because it shows that even her Uncle and Aunt can’t take care of her family and it is falling apart so she needs to be there for when more falls apart to try to prevent it more then her uncle.

There are many concepts of justice explained and shown throughout the book Antigone I decided to choose the concept of procedural justice which means having equal justice for everyone. This concept of justice is related to Antigone by the brothers of Antigone were not given fair treatment by their father Kreon. When talking about procedural justice I relate this back to living the good life which means living a life to the fullest and to live out the best life possible. This is played out in Antigone when she decided to go against her father’s wishes, and to bury her brother. When talking about procedural justice we need to make sure there is equal justice for everyone no matter the situation.

In the nineteenth century, women in literature were often portrayed as submissive to men. Literature of the period often characterized women as oppressed by society, as well as by the male influences in their lives. The Yellow Wallpaper presents the tragic story of a woman's descent into depression and madness. Gilman once wrote "Women's subordination will only end when women lead the struggle for their own autonomy, thereby freeing man as well as themselves, because man suffers from the distortions that come from dominance, just as women are scarred by the subjugation imposed upon them" (Lane 5). The Yellow Wallpaper brilliantly illustrates this philosophy. The

and "gates that lock". At the top of the stairs is a gate that keeps

husbands death but soon realizes this means she is free from him, and in “The Yellow Wallpaper” it

In The Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator address a conflict with her husband, who belives that her

Catharine MacKinnon, in her book Feminism Unmodified, takes a unique approach to the problem of gender inequality in America. She claims that pornography defines the way in which America’s patriarchal society perpetuates male dominance, and attacks traditional liberal methods that defend pornography on the basis of the first amendment’s right to free speech. According to MacKinnon, pornography is not an example of speech but rather an act. She proposes that this act discriminates against women as a class, and therefore violates their civil rights and should be outlawed. MacKinnon’s critics may think her argument is excessively radical, and contemporary society may not embrace the

The woman can merely be a narcissistic projection that comes from the male, unconsciously. Robert J. Stoller stated that “Fetishizing is the norm of males, not for females”, (Valerie Steel, 1996) Meaning that females are not interested in body parts and sexy outfits in the same way men are. Fetishistic imagery is divided into three different types: the first is a woman with a phallic substitute, secondly, a woman without a phallus usually intimidated or mocked by women with a phallus and last, a woman as the phallus.

Women are more harshly judged than men in many ways, but the matter of living a sexually active lifestyle is one of the biggest ways in which women are treated as if they are below men. Not only in small-town high schools, but in the real world as well, women are much

Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” approaches some often overlooked topics in literature including how men and women interact differently when it comes to serious situations such as how to help someone who is greatly suffering from a mental affliction. The narrator of the text is Jane, and her husband John is incidentally making her mental illness worse while he is in fact trying to help her get better. John is not a bad person. He truly loves his wife and believes he is helping her. He is a doctor so it is understandable that he would dismiss his wife’s opinions and do what he assumes is best for her. John represents the unintentional female oppression and male dominance and

Instead of clueing in her husband about what she had done, (the final step in