The Yellow Wallpaper Related To Gilman's Equality
Christian Anderson
Monday April 15th, 2013
Mrs. Bhela
ENG 3U0I
Non-Existent Equality in the 1800’s
Charlotte Perkins Gilman is known by readers of literature and students across the globe for her most famous piece “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The famous story follows a woman who suffers from mental illness and her growing infatuation with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom. It touches on the responsibility of women in the late 1800’s and the narrator’s inability to fulfill the duties of a housewife. At the end of the short story, the narrator’s illness takes over her mind and body as she believes she has seen a woman in the wallpaper, eventually putting herself in the wallpaper as well. When readers look deeper into the text, it is apparent …show more content…
that Charlotte Perkins used personal experiences drawn from both her life and the time period she lived in to write “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Firstly, many controversial political events were occurring in the late 1800’s which had a clear impact in her work. Secondly, many social issues surrounding feminism and women’s place in society are conveyed throughout the story. Finally, various personal experiences and events that occurred during the time period in which Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived influenced her to communicate the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society.
The political state of the time period that Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived in was one dominated by male ideologies influencing her to communicate the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. Many political influences of the late 1800’s are what Charlotte Perkins Gilman based “The Yellow Wallpaper” on. During Gilman’s late twenties and early thirties, many political issues dealing with women’s rights were being presented. “In Gilman’s lifetime women’s right to become full citizens and to vote became one of the primary issues debated in homes, media, and political arena” (Gilman 1). Women did not have the simplest of rights such as to vote. The debate on whether women should become full citizens displays the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. “The Yellow Wallpaper” took place in a time period where women were not allowed to contribute to society outside of maintain a house. “He says with my imaginative power and habit of story-making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies” (Gilman 2). When a women was to do anything outside of house work, for example writing, it was seen to be a weakness and was discouraged. Although women today are more equal to men, this was not always the case. “As women’s reform movements gained the strength that would eventually win the vote in 1920” (Gilman 1). Women did not always have the same rights as men, and in the 1920’s they rallied together to fight for their rights, demonstrating the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. Not only did the rise of feminism take place in real life but it was also shown throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper”.
The social influences that are conveyed throughout the story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” illustrates feminism and women’s place in society during Gilman’s time period.
Gilman was a feminist herself and wanted to change the position of women in society. “A feminist she called for women to gain economic independence and rights” (Gilman 2). Women were not treated equally and Gilman wanted this to change. She showed the unfair treatment of women within her writing, demanding their acceptance in society by making people aware of the problem. During Gilman’s time period it was seen as a woman’s duty to take care of her husband and be a house wife. “It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way! I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort” (Gilman 3). The narrator of the story has an illness that prevents her from doing anything productive. She states that she is unable to do her duty to help John and take care of him, which also means she is unable to fulfill her duty as a housewife. Instead of being upset over not being able to work and see her friends and family; the narrator is upset at the fact that she cannot contribute to her role in society which is to be a housewife. She does not always feel this way though. Her condition renders her unable to work. So she starts to realize that her role in society as a woman is unfair. “I sometimes fancy my condition, if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus” (Gilman 1). The narrator finds some enjoyment within her condition because she is no longer tied to the stereotypes of society. She feels that if she has less opposition from her husband and interacted with people more she would be happy. This shows that her husband treats her unfairly by showing her opposition and not letting her stimulate her mind. Charlotte Perkins Gilman also had events take place in her life similar to those as the narrator experienced among other similarities, which are littered throughout the
story.
The personal experiences and events that occurred during the time period in which Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived influenced a social outlook on her writing of the story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, allowing her to express the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s hard childhood contributed to her depression, which influenced her creation of the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. “She had a difficult childhood. Her father Fredric Beacher Perkins abandoned the family” (Gilman 2). The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” suffers from depression. Gilman wanted to create a character that was paralleled to herself because her father leaving her family caused her to become depressed as well. The negative view that Gilman had of her father also translates to one of the themes of her story. This being the negative role men play in society. Gilman’s mental state had a huge impact on the theme of “The Yellow Wallpaper”. “It was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy” (Gilman 3). Charlotte Perkins Gilman struggled with her mental illness so she wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” to express her emotions. The narrator in the story is a reflection of Gilman. Gilman’s motive with writing the “The Yellow Wallpaper” was to let readers see the world from her perspective. Gilman intended to show the development of insanity so as to help prevent it from occurring in readers. Another example of Charlotte Perkins Gilman incorporating an event that took place in her life inside “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the narrator needing to go to therapy but not wanting to. “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the falls” (Gilman 3). John does not ask Jane if she would like to see a therapist, but instead forces the idea upon her regardless of whether she wants to or not. Gilman similarly went to therapy against her will and did not enjoy it nor feel it was necessary clearly demonstrating the unfair treatment that women faced in society.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was highly encouraged to write “The Yellow Wallpaper” because of the universal truth that in the time period and society she lived women did not have the respect and equality rights they deserved. There were many changes going on in her life at the time that led her to write this short story. Firstly, many controversial political events were occurring in the late 1800’s which pushed her to write this story. Secondly, many social issues surrounding feminism and women’s place in society were under debate which had a major impact on her writing. Lastly, various personal experiences and events that occurred during the time period in which Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived influenced her to write about women not being treated equally in society. Though “The Yellow Wallpaper” may simply be seen as a short story about a crazy woman to some, if readers look deeper into the text, they are able to see the great influences from feminism and women’s place in society which Gilman used to guide her to write her most famous piece of work.
Works Cited
Gillman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Handout. ENG 3CU0C (S. Bhela). Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School. March. 2013. Print.
Gillman, Charlotte Perkins. “Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper.” Handout. ENG 3CU0C (S. Bhela). Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School. March. 2013. Print.
Monday April 15th, 2013
Mrs. Bhela
ENG 3U0I
Non-Existent Equality in the 1800’s
Charlotte Perkins Gilman is known by readers of literature and students across the globe for her most famous piece “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The famous story follows a woman who suffers from mental illness and her growing infatuation with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom. It touches on the responsibility of women in the late 1800’s and the narrator’s inability to fulfill the duties of a housewife. At the end of the short story, the narrator’s illness takes over her mind and body as she believes she has seen a woman in the wallpaper, eventually putting herself in the wallpaper as well. When readers look deeper into the text, it is apparent …show more content…
that Charlotte Perkins used personal experiences drawn from both her life and the time period she lived in to write “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Firstly, many controversial political events were occurring in the late 1800’s which had a clear impact in her work. Secondly, many social issues surrounding feminism and women’s place in society are conveyed throughout the story. Finally, various personal experiences and events that occurred during the time period in which Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived influenced her to communicate the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society.
The political state of the time period that Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived in was one dominated by male ideologies influencing her to communicate the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. Many political influences of the late 1800’s are what Charlotte Perkins Gilman based “The Yellow Wallpaper” on. During Gilman’s late twenties and early thirties, many political issues dealing with women’s rights were being presented. “In Gilman’s lifetime women’s right to become full citizens and to vote became one of the primary issues debated in homes, media, and political arena” (Gilman 1). Women did not have the simplest of rights such as to vote. The debate on whether women should become full citizens displays the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. “The Yellow Wallpaper” took place in a time period where women were not allowed to contribute to society outside of maintain a house. “He says with my imaginative power and habit of story-making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies” (Gilman 2). When a women was to do anything outside of house work, for example writing, it was seen to be a weakness and was discouraged. Although women today are more equal to men, this was not always the case. “As women’s reform movements gained the strength that would eventually win the vote in 1920” (Gilman 1). Women did not always have the same rights as men, and in the 1920’s they rallied together to fight for their rights, demonstrating the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. Not only did the rise of feminism take place in real life but it was also shown throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper”.
The social influences that are conveyed throughout the story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” illustrates feminism and women’s place in society during Gilman’s time period.
Gilman was a feminist herself and wanted to change the position of women in society. “A feminist she called for women to gain economic independence and rights” (Gilman 2). Women were not treated equally and Gilman wanted this to change. She showed the unfair treatment of women within her writing, demanding their acceptance in society by making people aware of the problem. During Gilman’s time period it was seen as a woman’s duty to take care of her husband and be a house wife. “It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way! I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort” (Gilman 3). The narrator of the story has an illness that prevents her from doing anything productive. She states that she is unable to do her duty to help John and take care of him, which also means she is unable to fulfill her duty as a housewife. Instead of being upset over not being able to work and see her friends and family; the narrator is upset at the fact that she cannot contribute to her role in society which is to be a housewife. She does not always feel this way though. Her condition renders her unable to work. So she starts to realize that her role in society as a woman is unfair. “I sometimes fancy my condition, if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus” (Gilman 1). The narrator finds some enjoyment within her condition because she is no longer tied to the stereotypes of society. She feels that if she has less opposition from her husband and interacted with people more she would be happy. This shows that her husband treats her unfairly by showing her opposition and not letting her stimulate her mind. Charlotte Perkins Gilman also had events take place in her life similar to those as the narrator experienced among other similarities, which are littered throughout the
story.
The personal experiences and events that occurred during the time period in which Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived influenced a social outlook on her writing of the story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, allowing her to express the universal truth that women were not treated equally in society. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s hard childhood contributed to her depression, which influenced her creation of the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. “She had a difficult childhood. Her father Fredric Beacher Perkins abandoned the family” (Gilman 2). The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” suffers from depression. Gilman wanted to create a character that was paralleled to herself because her father leaving her family caused her to become depressed as well. The negative view that Gilman had of her father also translates to one of the themes of her story. This being the negative role men play in society. Gilman’s mental state had a huge impact on the theme of “The Yellow Wallpaper”. “It was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy” (Gilman 3). Charlotte Perkins Gilman struggled with her mental illness so she wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” to express her emotions. The narrator in the story is a reflection of Gilman. Gilman’s motive with writing the “The Yellow Wallpaper” was to let readers see the world from her perspective. Gilman intended to show the development of insanity so as to help prevent it from occurring in readers. Another example of Charlotte Perkins Gilman incorporating an event that took place in her life inside “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the narrator needing to go to therapy but not wanting to. “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the falls” (Gilman 3). John does not ask Jane if she would like to see a therapist, but instead forces the idea upon her regardless of whether she wants to or not. Gilman similarly went to therapy against her will and did not enjoy it nor feel it was necessary clearly demonstrating the unfair treatment that women faced in society.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was highly encouraged to write “The Yellow Wallpaper” because of the universal truth that in the time period and society she lived women did not have the respect and equality rights they deserved. There were many changes going on in her life at the time that led her to write this short story. Firstly, many controversial political events were occurring in the late 1800’s which pushed her to write this story. Secondly, many social issues surrounding feminism and women’s place in society were under debate which had a major impact on her writing. Lastly, various personal experiences and events that occurred during the time period in which Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived influenced her to write about women not being treated equally in society. Though “The Yellow Wallpaper” may simply be seen as a short story about a crazy woman to some, if readers look deeper into the text, they are able to see the great influences from feminism and women’s place in society which Gilman used to guide her to write her most famous piece of work.
Works Cited
Gillman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Handout. ENG 3CU0C (S. Bhela). Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School. March. 2013. Print.
Gillman, Charlotte Perkins. “Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper.” Handout. ENG 3CU0C (S. Bhela). Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School. March. 2013. Print.