The Image of Women in the Eighteenth Century

874 Words2 Pages

The image of women in the Eightieth

The environment is having a very big effect to people surrounded by it. The way parents treated their child will have a direct influent on whom and what they want to become in the future. The relations of people to a person might lead that person to their ruin. From "A Rose For Emily" and "The Yellow Wallpaper", we can see very clearly the evident that lead these women to their tragic ending. In "A Rose For Emily" by William Faulkner, a noble woman being isolated from people in her town and because of loneliness she end up insane and have a tragic life. Also in "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator is being restricted to all her favorite things and that leads her to insanity. These two women have one thing in common: they were forced to insanity by the people surrounded them.

In "A Rose For Emily", the main factor that leads to the change of Emily's mental and physical is: the isolation of the people of the town. Before Emily was considering one of the best looking people in town: "None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such." (page 486); now Emily looks more like a drowned body: "She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water" (page 485) Due to the fact that Emily lived in a big house and had a colored servant, it made the people in town think that Emily is not one of them and thus it's easier for them to put her aside and ignore her. In addition because of her father's ideas, she always thought she was someone special better than the rest of the rest of the people in town, and that is the reason why she never got married. Thus her father is the only one that can take care and protect her.

There are two people th...

... middle of paper ...

...ily being isolated from the people in her town is not her fault, because she was born and raised like she was someone special. Also her father is the one that chased away anyone who came and asked for her, he is the one that made Emily's life different from the people in town. On the other hand, in "The Yellow Wallpaper" John is the one that represents for all the men and doctors, he had the power to overcome his wife and tell her what she can do and can't: "If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression - a slightly hysterical tendency - what is one to do?" (page576) John also represents everything in the society that holds her down and it also the reason that she never get well: "perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster." (page 576)

Open Document