Charlotte Perkins Wilman Turned Analysis

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a writer ahead of her time. Both of her famous short stories “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Turned” deal with the relationships between husbands and wives, but that is where the similarities end. “The Yellow Wallpaper” deals with a woman completely overshadowed by her husband and the men around her. “Turned” tells the story of a woman standing up for herself and separating from the male figure in her life. The stories show two very different sides of a relationship.
In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the wife is treated as a child. Her husband and the other male relatives make all decisions for her in regard to her life. The main character, the woman, remains nameless throughout the story. This is one way that Gilman shows how insignificant the individuality of the woman is to those around her. She is never addressed by name but rather with phrases that would often times be used to placate a child such as calling her blessed goose. In this respect, the woman is similar to the character of Greta, who is very childlike in her naivety. Her needs and wants are reduced to that of child and with …show more content…
Marroner. Her character is strong and independent. She is able to move past the hurt that a cheating husband causes and even provide for his pregnant mistress. Mrs. Marroner leaves her husband and starts a new life for herself. She needs no one to protect her or run her life. She further asserts her individuality by changing her name from her married name back to her maiden. She is educated and secure. All of these traits are in direct contrast to the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The women serve as two halves of the same coin. Mrs. Marroner could easily become the woman in the room but her reaction to trauma and heartache is to push forward and stand on her own. The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” instead breaks when faced with adversity and is then forced to rely on the men in her