Theme Of Gender Inequality In The Chrysanthemums

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrative voice is an extremely influential factor in developing many themes in addition to the apparent theme of insanity. Both “The Yellow Wallpaper” and John Steinbeck 's short story "The Chrysanthemums” explore two common themes of identity and gender inequality. Both short stories are set in a time where few women could gain equality in a male-dominated society. In “The Chrysanthemums”, Steinbeck portrays this struggle for equality through the character Elisa Allen. Gilman uses herself as a medium through which she displays the inner thoughts and emotions of a woman in a patriarchal society. This allows the reader to develop a thorough understanding of the way female oppression affects the characters identity crisis. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the first aspect of the text that points towards gender inequality is the contrast in the ways the main character’s behavior changed around her husband and how she views him. …show more content…
In their eyes, women are fragile being that must be taken care of, lest their bodies or mental faculties be compromised. Both women struggle to gain a foothold on their place in society as equals to their male counterparts. While John’s wife depicts her triumph over him by continuing to pace the perimeter of the room over his unconscious body, Elisa is forced to retreat to her place as the woman and do what is expected of her. The narrative voice in “The Yellow Wallpaper” serves to highlight the issue of gender equality in the type of situation where it is easy to only look at the insanity. Both women in the two stories served to tie and depict the two themes of gender inequality and identity crisis together to encourage the image that reflects not just the relationship between husband and wife, but also the ideals of female disadvantage and male superiority prevalent within their