In Erik Margraf’s essay on The Awakening, he points out that naturalistic writers frequently “focused their attention on heredity and environment respectively as the primary forces that determine the individual. ” This emphasis in part on environment is a major theme in three texts that have female protagonists—The Awakening by Kate Chopin, “The Yellow Wallpaper” … Read more
For decades, women have fought and continue to fight an underrated battle with society. Women struggled with inequality and with being inferior to men for generations so long now that this inequality is considered to be acceptable in society as a traditional social standard. Women were considered weaker, emotionally and physically, and less intelligent with … Read more
The narrator in, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” suffers from depression, although her husband, who is a doctor, does not consider it an illness. Therefore, he keeps her on a strict rest cure. She is not allowed to do work of any form, not even care for her baby. All she allowed to do is rest in … Read more
Birds: Birds are symbolic of the Victorian era women present in the story, just as the cages they are placed in mirror the societal restraints placed upon these women by the creole society. As the birds scream “Go away! Go away! For God’s sake” it is understood that this restriction of sorts is not always … Read more
Out of the three short stories “Tell Tale Heart”, “Yellow Wallpaper”, and “Strawberry Spring”, “Tell Tale Heart” did the best at establishing the characters mental state. This is due to the fact that it is plain as day that the character is insane from the beginning; but he gets more and more insane as the … Read more
In the last half of the nineteenth century, Victorian ideals still held sway in American society, at least among members of the middle and upper classes. Thus the cult of True Womanhood was still promoted which preached four cardinal virtues for women: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. Women were considered far more religious than men … Read more
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an observation on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society. The story itself presents an interesting look at one woman’s struggle to deal with both mental and physical confinement. Through Gilman’s writing the reader becomes aware of the mental and physical confinement, which the narrator endures, … Read more
The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is about a woman who is suffering from temporary nervous depression. Her husband, a doctor, has taken her to a summer vacation home for rest therapy; however, the woman’s condition worsens and she sees images of faces in the wallpaper of her room. She believes the images are … Read more
Society continually places specific and often restrictive standards on the female gender. While modern women have overcome many unfair prejudices, late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century women were forced to deal with a less than understanding culture. Different people had various ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities, including expressing themselves through literature. By writing … Read more
A major theme in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is that solitary confinement and exclusion from the public results in insanity. The use of imagery and setting helps illustrate this theme throughout the story. The unnamed protagonist in this story suffers from a nervous disorder which is enhanced by her feeling of being … Read more
Often times what is meant to help can hinder. Positive intentions do not always bring about desirable effects. The “Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of such an occurrence. In this short story the narrator is detained in a lonesome, drab room in an attempt to free herself of a nervous disorder. During the era in … Read more
For John Modern day feminists enjoy looking into the past to find examples of female oppression. This tactic is employed in the hopes of demonstrating that oppression of their sex by the evil male populous has been going on for decades. One such work that is cited by feminists to showcase just how terrible women … Read more
Name, Identity and Self in Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents in the short story The Yellow Wallpaper a narrator of dubious identity. If a reader infers that the reference at the end of the story to Jane is indeed self-reflexive, a dichotomy between the Jane of which she speaks and … Read more
The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Gilman is a chilling portrayal of a womans downward spiral towards madness after undergoing treatment for postpartum depression in the 1800s. The narrator, whose name remains nameless, represents the hundreds of middle to upper- class women who were diagnosed with hysteria and prescribed a rest treatment. Although Gilmans story … Read more
The short story “The Yellow Wall-Paper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a cry for freedom. This story is about a woman who fights for her right to express what she feels, and fights for her right to do what she wants to do. The narrator in this short story is a woman whose husband … Read more
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is based in an oppressive society ruled by a male figure where women are seen in a lower place in the hierarchy. The entire story basically demonstrates conflicts among a woman, the narrator and everything that revolves around her life. Her imprisonment of freedom of speech and her … Read more
The Cure is Worse than the Disease in The Yellow Wall Paper Often times what is meant to help can hinder. Positive intentions do not always bring about desirable effects. The “Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of such an occurrence. In this short story the narrator is detained in a lonesome, drab room in an … Read more