The Yellow Wallpaper: Repression
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Gilman is sad story of the
repression that women face in the days of late 1800's as well as being
representative of the turmoils that women face today. Gilman writes "The
Yellow Wallpaper" from her own personal experiences of having to face the
overwhelming fact that this is a male dominated society and sometimes women
suffer because of it.
The narrator, being female, is suffering from a "temporary
depression". She states right from the beginning that "John is a
physician, and perhaps--(I would not say it to a living soul, of course,
but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)-- perhaps that is
the one reason I do not get well faster." The narrator sets up the story
to convey a certain opinion of the repercussions a woman faces in the care
of a man. She obviously loves her husband and trusts him but has some
underlying feeling that maybe his prescription of total bed rest is not
working for her. The story mentions that she has an older brother who is
also a physician and concurs with her husbands theory, thus leaving her no
choice but to subject herself to this torment of being totally alone in
this room with the yellow wallpaper.
She stares at this wallpaper for hours on end and thinks she sees a
woman behind the paper. "I didn't realize for a long time what the thing
was that showed behind, that dim sub-pattern, but now I am quite sure it is
a woman." She becomes obsessed with discovering what is behind that
pattern and what it is doing. "I don't want to leave now until I have
found it out". The narrator with absolutely nothing else to do is reduced
to staring ...
... middle of paper ...
... indeed imprison the woman because you have no way of knowing what has
happened before or what is to come. We imprison her more because we make
judgments of a thirty second clip that could possibly affect our bias for
the movie or the story itself before we have a chance as an individual to
read the story or watch the movie.
As a female in 1995 reading this story, I had this overwhelming
desire to free this narrator from her husband and the rest of the males in
her life. She wanted company, activity and stimulation. Which any woman
of that time or this time should be freely allowed to have. Gilman did an
outstanding job of illustrating the position that women of that time, and
to an extent, of this time as well, hold in their society. This story
should hold a place in every woman's heart who is struggling to find her
place.
Often, when a story is told, it follows the events of the protagonist. It is told in a way that justifies the reasons and emotions behind the protagonist actions and reactions. While listening to the story being cited, one tends to forget about the other side of the story, about the antagonist motivations, about all the reasons that justify the antagonist actions.
When a person attempts to control someone else’s life, it only reflects the lack of control they have on their own. My mother always used to tell me “don’t let someone change who you are, to become what they need.” After reading the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman I thought of my mother’s saying. This short story is very interesting. It begins by the perspective of a women who is suffering from temporary nervous depression. The narrator begins by describing a huge mansion that she and her husband, John, have rented for the summer. John is a mysterious man who is also a physician. Their move into the country is partially motivated by his desire to expose his suffering wife to its clean air and calm life so she
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” (US Constitution, Amendment XIX). The above is the 19th amendment of the United States of America Constitution. Ratified in 1920, after supporters worked tirelessly to change the mindset of a nation. But even with the law, there are still stereotypes. There are still people set on what they think. The issue is not the rights of women. Since 1920, they have had the rights. The issue does not even focus on disputes such as money, working, or privileges. The issue is being understood. In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents a clear and relevant example of the suppression
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, women were often portrayed as submissive to men. Women were seen as oppressed by society as well as by the males in their lives. Both of Gilman’s bodies of works, “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Turned”, illustrate the fight for selfhood by women in a demoralized and oppressive environment. The narrator’s escape from her unbalanced marriage and captivity is her complete loss of sanity. Mrs. Marroner overcomes her husband’s infidelity and emotional control by taking in the vulnerable Gerta and leaving her husband. Their situations cause them and readers to start questioning the “naturalness” of gender roles.
* Tapper, James. "Doctor Who? Unknown actor Matt Smith, 26, announced as David Tennant's replacement." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013. .
Polish began to rebel against them and took action by outlawing Solidarity, imposing martial law
ADULT LEARNING THEORY 2 Adult Learning Theory Malcolm Knowles Malcolm Knowles (1913-1997) was a key figure in America’s adult education in the second half of the twentieth century (Smith, 2002). Early Life “Born in 1913 and initially raised in Montana,” Knowles seems to have had “a reasonably happy childhood. His father was a veterinarian and from around the age of four Knowles often accompanied him on his visits to farms and ranches” (Smith, 2002, para. 2). His mother also played a critical role in his character building. During his campaign for the scouting prize, he developed a technique that would help him compete successfully (Smith, 2002), which he always thanked his mother for. In 1930, He entered Harvard University with scholarship, where he spent four dynamic years. Although job opportunities were extremely scarce, he still managed to find a job in Phillips Brooks House at Harvard (National Louis University [NLU], 2005), “a university organization dedicated to social work” (NLU, 2005, para. 7); he also volunteered to participate in many activities with immigrants at Boston's Lincoln House Settlement (NLU, 2005). In addition, he accumulated experiences in communicating with youth groups and counseling for immigrant Italian families. He was even elected President in Harvard's Liberal Club (NLU, 2005). He was soon found to be caught up in the Depression; however, he was not defeated by either the delivery job for the New York Times in the Cambridge area, or the errands he ran as a water boy for the Harvard football team (Smith, 2002). With the desire to work in the field of education, Knowles managed to get a job in new National Youth Administration in Massachusetts, where he was involved in “finding out what skills local em...
... the liberation of women everywhere. One can easily recognize, however, that times were not always so generous as now, and different women found their own ways of dealing with their individual situations. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s character created a twisted image of the world in her mind, and eventually became mentally insane. While most cases were not so extreme, this character was imperative in creating a realization of such a serious situation.
When first reading the gothic feminist tale, “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, one might assume this is a short story about a women trying to save her sanity while undergoing treatment for postpartum depression. Gilman herself had suffered post-natal depression and was encouraged to undergo the “rest cure” to cure her hysteria. The treatment prescribed to Gilman resulted in her having a very similar experience as the narrator in the short story. The “perfect rest” (648), which consisted of forced bed rest and isolation sparked the inspiration for “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This story involving an unreliable narrator, became an allegory for repression of women. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Gilman illustrates the seclusion and oppression of women in the nineteenth century society by connecting the female imprisonment, social and mental state, and isolation to the objects in and around the room.
There are multiple possible causes for the internal conflict the narrator faces. The first being nervous depression and the other is the fact that her life is being controlled by her husband. Her husband is in full control because in the beginning of the story, John, her husband, influences how she should act. He decides the actions that should be taken in regards to her health and sanctity. Although she finds herself disagreeing with his synopsis, she is confined and does not admit how she feels to him. This also brings about another a major conflict that occurred in the 19th century, men being dominant and woman being categorized as inferior. Evidence can be found when the narrator states, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband assures friends and relatives that there is nothing the matter with o...
Throughout the story, the protagonist states her intentions to herself, but then does not act upon them because of her husband. This is further shown when she speaks of her husband and her brother, who "is also of higher standing," (Gilman 317) showing the high ranking of men in society. They keep her from doing the things she wants because they believe it is best for her to rest. She disagrees with the adage. " Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good" (Gilman 317).
Throughout the story, the reader is called to trust the narrator although it is clear she is going crazy, for she is the only telling the story. Gilman is able to develop the theme through this character’s point of view by showing that the narrator has no choice in the world in which she lives-- she must obey the men in her life above all else. If Gilman chose any other perspective, the story would not have been able to portray the woman’s oppression as well, because the reader would not have been able to see into her mind as it slipped away well into insanity.
The woman behind this work of literature portrays the role of women in the society during that period of time. "The Yellow Wallpaper" written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a well written story describing a woman who suffers from insanity and how she struggles to express her own thoughts and feelings. The author uses her own experience to criticize male domination of women during the nineteenth century. Although the story was written fifty years ago, "The Yellow Wallpaper" still brings a clear message how powerless women were during that time.
The Adult Learning Theories Essay assignment provides information on how learning takes place throughout different stages in life. The topic begin with how learning take place in humans, how one develops throughout various stages in life, the learning process, and blending adult learning and development experiences. The course content requires mastery because learning never ends once it begins at birth. The importance of knowing what is learned in each stage of life builds upon what is already learned which will lead to the next stage of development.
Traditionally, men have held the power in society. Women have been treated as a second class of citizens with neither the legal rights nor the respect of their male counterparts. Culture has contributed to these gender roles by conditioning women to accept their subordinate status while encouraging young men to lead and control. Feminist criticism contends that literature either supports society’s patriarchal structure or provides social criticism in order to change this hierarchy. “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, depicts one women’s struggle against the traditional female role into which society attempts to force her and the societal reaction to this act.