The Cult Of True Womanhood Analysis

Throughout our history women have been seen as inferior beings, unable to fulfill the same roles in society as men. This was true for women in the Nineteenth Century, who were considered to be different biologically; hence, weak, illogical, and dependent. While men were considered to be rational creatures, women were considered emotional and prone to develop depression and being susceptible to madness. Men were prepared to work outside the home; because of their nature, they were more capable for social interactions. On the other hand, women were expected to get married, with the only goal of having children, and stay home. Their only duty was to fulfill the role of wife and mother. These were the historical conditions the writer, Charlotte …show more content…
“I don’t like this room a bit. I wanted the downstairs that opened on to the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! but John would not hear of it.” (Gilman 174) Her husband denies her this request because he feels that he knows what is best for her; perpetuating the belief that women should be dependent on men to survive, because they do not have the ability to discern between what do them well and what do not. The article "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860”, on regards of this system of beliefs, mentions how women were indoctrinated into believing that “…Man was ‘woman’s superior by God’s appointment, if not in intellectual dowry, at least by official decree’.” (Welter …show more content…
The main character’s lack of self expression drives her into insanity. This could be seen from a personal perspective or be interpreted from a broader point of view: the effects of lacking a voice, representation and rights of women in society. The yellow wallpaper is a symbol that represents the oppression the narrator felt, which can be extrapolated to how women in general felt in that period. The women escaping from the pattern of the paper illustrate the desire that women had to break with the traditions that oppressed them. “Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over […] And she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody could climb through that pattern - it strangles so; I think that is why it has so many heads.” (Gilman 185) It is hard to break the patterns that society imposes on us, yet we need to keep trying until we can emancipate