Gender Roles And Expectations In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The author agrees with the idea of women as victims through the characterisation of women in the short story. The women are portrayed as helpless to the torment inflicted upon them by the boy in the story. This positions readers to feel sympathy for the women but also think of the world outside the text in which women are also seen as inferior to men. “Each season provided him new ways of frightening the little girls who sat in front of him or behind him”. This statement shows that the boy’s primary target were the girls who sat next to him. This supports the tradition idea of women as the victims and compels readers to see that the women in the text are treated more or less the same as the women in the outside world. Characterisation has been used by the author to reinforce the traditional idea of women as the helpless victims.

These two stories exemplify the epitome of women’s repression in the male-dominated society of the late nineteenth century by conveying the feelings of

When the readers meet the young, subordinated wife of a physician, who remains nameless throughout the entire story, perhaps hinting at the commonness of such situations where all those women are the same: faceless and nameless, this woman’s dilemma becomes obvious. She has been stripped off the only function a woman in those times had, the domestic one, due to the fact that she suffers from a mysterious illness which requires the infamous bed cure. Gradually, she is treated more and more as a child, unable and even forbidden to express herself in a creative way, namely to write, being persuaded that it cannot do any good to someone in her condition. This is why the protagonist (who is simultaneously the narrator), takes it upon herself to write a journal about her experiences and the mysterious woman that haunts her from the

In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, women are seen to be controlled by the male society. Women are unrecognized by men in society. Gender roles are presented in this story as the men being the most dominant in the household and the women being the one to do all the duties. Women are seen to be the ones that have to always listen and be submissive to their husbands, as they are the ones with the most power and authority. The writer represents this type of gender discrimination as a negative aspect in life. During the 19th century, these kinds of gender roles have been considered as acceptable and normal in their society. Mental illnesses however, were seen as a disadvantage to have and can make society think less of them, depending in what gender they are. Charlotte Gilman had been going through the negative aspects of gender roles herself. She had been suffering from depression, but depression in those times were seen as a weakness. Gilman was labeled as a burden and this would make her silent in society. She then passed on her depression to the story she had written. Gilman, herself had went against the society norms and left her husband to write. She did not want to keep the norms in her life and wanted to be free. She was a secessionist and wanted to do the things her husband never allowed her to do, which was write. In Gilman’s short story, a married couple have been basically assigned the gender roles in the household. The

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” tells the story of a woman suffering from post-partum depression, undergoing the sexist psychological treatments of mental health, that took place during the late nineteenth century. The narrator in Gilman’s story writes about being forced to do nothing, and how that she feels that is the worst possible treatment for her. In this particular scene, the narrator writes that she thinks normal work would do her some good, and that writing allows her to vent, and get across her ideas that no one seems to listen to. Gilman’s use of the rhetorical appeal pathos, first-person point of view, and forceful tone convey her message that confinement is not a good cure for mental health, and that writing,

Throughout the story the narrator starts to think of the differences that sex has on the emotions of men and women. She starts to feel that it is

For decades, traditional gender roles have been used to help society in certain ways, but now it seems society has put too much pressure on people to follow gender roles that usually don’t align with them or simply just disagree with them. These are reasons why gender roles are no longer necessary in today's world, as they cause psychological effects, inequality, and affect progress in the world. My sources are about feminism, which challenges traditional gender roles by fighting for equality between genders and breaking down society's expectations that confine women to certain roles and behaviors. Instead, masculinity, often associated with strength and dominance, perpetuates traditional gender roles by encouraging people to follow the usual

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story about a woman who has a mental illness but cannot heal due to her husband’s lack of belief. The story appears to take place during a time period where women were oppressed. Women were treated as second rate people in society during this time period. Charlotte Perkins Gilman very accurately portrays the thought process of the society during the time period in which “The Yellow Wallpaper” is written. Using the aspects of Feminist criticism, one can analyze “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman through the dialogue through both the male and female perspective, and through the symbol found in the story.

Because the story is written in diary format, we feel especially close to this woman. We are in touch with her innermost thoughts. The dominance of her husband, and her reaction to it, is reflected throughout the story. The narrator is continually submissive, bowing to her husband's wishes, even though she is unhappy and depressed. Her husband has adopted the

It does not take the form of the traditional symbol of security for the domestic

Charlotte Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is centered on the deteriorating psychological condition of the female narrator. As a woman in a male dominating society in the 19th century, the narrator has no control over her life. This persistence eventually evolves into her madness. The insanity is triggered by her change in attitude towards her husband, the emergent obsession with the wallpaper and the projection of herself as the women behind the wallpaper. The “rest cure” which was prescribed by her physician husband, created the ideal environment for her madness to extend because, it was in her imagination that she had some freedom and control.

The narrator is totally crushed by the gender discrimination. She longed to be seen by her mother and her grandma. The narrator is heartbroken that her mother loved her brother more than her and failed to notice her. “When she went into Nonso’s room to say good night, she always came out laughing that laugh. Most times, you pressed your palms to your ears to keep the sound out, and kept your palms pressed to your ears, even when she came into your room to say Good night, darling, sleep well. She never left your room with that laugh” (190). Her agony can be easily seen by the way of her narrating. She does not get the affection that she deserves. She really needs the affection from her own mother, but she is not getting it. She compares the love which her mother shows to his brother and herself. This is gender discrimination can be seen with her grandmother too. She hated her grandma as she would always support her brother and find fault with her. Even though what the brother did, no matter what crime. Her mother and grandmother always supported her brother and never supported or showed interest towards

To Room Nineteen and The Story of an Hour are two excellent pieces of literature that reflect the position of women in the entire world. Since the twentieth century subdued women have struggled to have a voice. Not only did they look for equality as regards position in society, but also to be happy without depending on men. Moreover, if you continue reading this essay you are going to find how oppression due to lifestyle affects the main characters of the stories already mentioned as well as how they are dependent on men. Besides, you will notice that escapism from reality is present in both stories.

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator must deal with several different conflicts. She is diagnosed with “temporary nervous depression and a slight hysterical tendency” (Gilman 221). Most of her conflicts, such as, differentiating from creativity and reality, her sense of entrapment by her husband, and not fitting in with the stereotypical role of women in her time, are centered around her mental illness and she has to deal with them.

The relationship between men and women presented in the short story “The Story of an Hour”, is that men dominated society. A Woman’s freedom was nonexistent. Throughout this short story, women are presented as powerless and dependent while men were considered to be superior. Women were tied down through marriage, such as, having been expected of doing as the man pleased without having any say in the relationship. Through a feminist critical perspective, this short story supports a patriarchal society that is presented though marriage and women’s lack of freedom.