In the nineteenth century, women's lives were shaped by the cult of true womanhood and domesticity, having to maintain the domestic sphere as pious, pure, domestic, and submissive to their husbands. During that time, the images of self available to women must only reflect and sustain patriarchal ideology (King and Morris 23). Women who adhered to such qualities were promised true happiness and power. The cult asserted that women retained the womanly virtues that home was thought to be the only proper sphere for them to function in as a mother and wife. As a result of the cult, there was a division between two different spheres -- the home and the economy. It was believed that while the world outside the home was a man's sphere, the home was
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The narrator would like to see her friends, to write, and read but these activities are discounted. Also, her husband’s treatment, like his language throughout the story, is truly patriarchal. He treats her as though she is his child, and she does not know exactly what ails her in the beginning of the tale. John uses diminutive names when he speaks to her, such as, “blessed little goose,” and “little girl.” He does not take the time to listen to what the narrator has to say, and Gilman provides several interchanges so that his personality and the authoritative role he plays are clear. I think during the Victorian era women’s rights were limited and their voice was not heard in a patriarchal society. They also had some disadvantages because of their social status. In addition, Victorian women were unable to assert their ability to address issues in their home. Shut off from all normal interaction and locked away in the nursery room of a rented country house, the narrator fantasizes in an unusual way. She sees imprisoned and oppressed women in the yellow wallpaper who are trying to escape from the morass of crumbling. After many hours of studying the wallpaper she eventually helps the women to escape while vigorously peeling the paper off the wall. Once all
The narrator would like to see her friends, to write, and read but these activities are discounted. Also, her husband’s treatment, like his language throughout the story, is truly patriarchal. He treats her as though she is his child, and she does not know exactly what ails her in the beginning of the tale. John uses diminutive names when he speaks to her, such as, “blessed little goose,” and “little girl.” He does not take the time to listen to what the narrator has to say, and Gilman provides several interchanges so that his personality and the authoritative role he plays are clear. I think during the Victorian era women’s rights were limited and their voice was not heard in a patriarchal society. They also had some disadvantages because of their social status. In addition, Victorian women were unable to assert their ability to address issues in their home. Shut off from all normal interaction and locked away in the nursery room of a rented country house, the narrator fantasizes in an unusual way. She sees imprisoned and oppressed women in the yellow wallpaper who are trying to escape from the morass of crumbling. After many hours of studying the wallpaper she eventually helps the women to escape while vigorously peeling the paper off the wall. Once all