Oppression In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

When men are oppressed it's a tragedy,when women are oppressed it's a tradition. Women have been facing oppression for so long that they have become accustomed to it. It is considered to be a social norm for women to be dominated by men. In literature, during the 19th century, women were often portrayed as submissives to men. Literature during that time frequently characterized women as oppressed by society, as well as by male influences in their lives. During this time period women were controlled by “superiors” like their husbands or fathers. “ The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an excellent example of literature that portrays the submissions of women toward men. “ The Yellow Wallpaper” is an accurate ,useful description of the process of a woman's descent into madness through oppression.

Hysteria was the first mental disorder that was referenced to women. The symptoms of hysteria at the time were considered to be lack of sex, anxiety, suffocation,and tremors. Although there were many symptoms they were not limited to this list. Society immediately decided that if women that showed anyone of these symptoms had hysteria with no real medical evidence to back it up. Because the doctors were male during this time, women had no choice but to believe what they had to say. These women then had a label,holding them back from their normal everyday lives. “.. Melampus spoke of the women’s madness as derived from their uterus being poisoned by venomous