Feminism: A Constant Stride Towards Equality

“Women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their oppressors.” -Evelyn Cunningham

Feminism is an idea based on the assumption that women have the same human, political and social rights as men, furthermore, that women should have the same opportunities as men in their personal choices regarding careers, politics and expression (Reference.com). A feminist text states the author’s agenda for women in society as they relate to oppression by a patriarchal power structure and the subsequent formation of social ‘standards’ and ‘protocols’. It points out deficiencies in society regarding equal opportunity, and the author will make certain the reader will be aware of this motive (Bahar). In a work of fiction, the main character, or heroine, personifies the social struggle against male domination. Unfortunately, feminism is said to have too many negative connotations and thus it seems the term, and therefore the movement, is restricted by the glass ceiling, of which it aims to fight (Ferguson). Numerous works which we explored throughout the semester possess characteristics of feminist works, in particular, the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, written by Flannery O’Connor. These are both considered feminist texts because they aim to portray women as stronger, more independent subjects, and to defy the norms that have been created by men in the past. The feministic ideas that are touched upon help to strengthen the works as well as critique modern society.

“The Yellow Wallpaper” tells a story about a woman’s struggles against male-centric thinking and societal ‘norms’. Feminist allusions are abundant throughout this s...

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...y 36.3 (2011): 733-757. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” 1912. Making Literature Matter:

An Anthology For Readers and Writers. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 954-968. Print.

Hinely, Susan. “Charlotte Wilson, the “Woman Question”, and the Meanings of Anarchist Socialism in Late Victorian Radicalism.” International Review of Social History 57.1 (2012): 3-36. ProQuest Military Collection; ProQuest Research Library; ProQuest Social Science Journals. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.

O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.” 1955. Making Literature Matter:

An Anthology For Readers and Writers. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 1283-1296. Print.

“Reference.com - A Free Online Encyclopedia & Information Reference.” Reference.com. Web. 8 Apr. 2012. .