The Liberation Of Women In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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The liberation of women has been a subject of conversation since the early 1900s and on that continues today. One of the earliest figures in American feminism is Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” which depicts a nameless woman (some could argue her name is Jane) suffering from depression and anxiety following the birth of her baby (1035). The main character and setting are interrelated in that it depicts the mental pressure and distress placed on women throughout history both literally and figuratively which ultimately could lead to a woman’s demise. The story, told in the first-person point of view, begins with the woman describing the house that her husband John and she are to live in for the next three months. The house is set back from the road and is secluded three miles from the nearest town. The woman says that she is sick but her husband seems to talk down to her like she does not know what she is talking about. The woman believes she would be much better off working or doing something to keep her mind active. “…and I am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again. Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good” (1035).
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Together the woman in the wallpaper and the main character tear the wallpaper, freeing the woman within. The stripping of the wallpaper symbolizes the freeing of her entrapment. Her husband faints after seeing what the woman had done. This represents the liberation of women and an actual role reversal as fainting is considered more of something a woman may do when extremely stressed. After the husband faints the main character “creeps” around the room stepping over the husband each time she passes him. This woman, representing American feminism, has prevailed over her oppressor. She is now in her own way celebrating her

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