The Yellow Wallpaper, And A Jury Of Her Peers

Throughout history authors have reflected the issues of society through their work. Kate Chopin, Charlotte Gilman, and Susan Glaspell are three such authors who address the oppressive nature of men and confines of marriage in their classic short stories. One similarity this collection of authors have in common is the time period in which they live(late nineteenth century to early twentieth century). It is important to understand the lack of women's rights and what was expected of a wife during this time to grasp the symbolic meaning behind their short stories. They authors incorporate this theme into these three stories: “The Story of an Hour,” “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and “A Jury of Her Peers.” Not only is the controlling nature of men …show more content…
Previously this room had been used as a nursery and a gymnasium. This is why the windows were barred. Through the window, the narrator is able to see the garden outside and the road in the distance. Inside the room there is a bed that had been nailed to the floor. The walls were covered in hideous, yellow wallpaper that was “dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide”(Gilman 2). When the narrator looks at the wallpaper she describes visions within the wallpaper, which include “a woman that is trapped, bars, and creeping and crawling”(Gilman 5). The barred windows are symbolic of the confines of marriage the narrator experiences. What she sees outside the window, the garden, represents a life that is unreachable because of the controlling nature of her husband. The bed that is attached to the floor with nails represents her inability to be her own person because her husband holds her down and does not allow her to make her own decisions. The wallpaper is symbolic of the inner feelings of the narrator. She feels trapped; hence the reason the sees a lady trapped within the wallpaper and bars confining her. She wants to escape her marriage and sneak away from her repressive husband, this is why she envisions …show more content…
She seems to be upset by the news and retreats to her bedroom, while at the same time asking that no one follows her. Her room contains an open arm chair and a window. While staring out the window the narrator becomes overwhelmed with a feeling of freedom. The narrator then states, “Free. Body and soul free!”(para 13, Chopin). The chair that Mrs. Mallard, the narrator, sits in is described as a “comfortable, roomy” chair. It’s symbolic of her newly gained freedom. The chair has enough space to move around, which she does now because she is single. Her husband was controlling and now she has some space to herself. The window represents the world of possibilities that is now available to her. She begins to mutter, “free, free, free”(para 9, Chopin) almost uncontrollably. This is where she begins to see the immense opportunities available to her now that her husband is dead. While most people would be deeply upset about the loss of their spouse, she experiences a “monstrous joy” (para 10, Chopin), because she knows she should be upset, but is too happy with her new possibilities to be upset. She compared her revelation to “drinking in a very elixir of life”(para 15, Chopin). She was happy to hear of her husband’s death because she was able to escape the confines of her marriage. Mrs. Mallard was free to be her own person, now that her husband could no longer control