Compare And Contrast Hemingway And Gilman's Depiction Of Women

Hemingway and Gilman’s Depiction of Women: Unnecessary The famous women's rights and suffrage movement activist, Susan B Anthony said, “Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” Her ambitious agenda for women’s rights was met with fierce resistance and ingrained social norms. The proper role of women and their appropriate duties was a controversial issue in the early 20th century. Many firmly believed a woman’s role should be confined to the domestic sphere and that only men owned the public sphere. However, there was a growing band of feminists who believed women should have agency over their lives. The literary space was a popular forum for discussing these arguments. In Ernest Hemingway's “Soldier’s Home” story from In Our Time, women are depicted as objects for men’s amusement and pleasure and are not deserving of serious engagement …show more content…
As a result of these gender roles, women were devoid of economic capabilities and were solely reliant on men for their material survival. Jennie, the narrator’s sister is a minor character in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Her role is to provide support for housework and chores. The narrator describes Jennie as, “A perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession. [The narrator] verily believes she thinks it is the writing which made [the narrator] sick!” (Gilman). Additionally, the family barely received any visitors. But John was allowed to come and go as he pleased. The implication is that John’s wife and sister were confined to bed-ridden convalescence and domestic chores, and John as the man has freedom. “The Yellow Wallpaper” depicts an arrangement where the narrator makes no financial contribution to the family’s subsistence. The duty falls on John who then takes it as an entitlement on making all household