Karn Mahal
ENGL 1110-03
Nina Johnson
November 7, 2017
The World Through A Woman’s Eyes: Theme of Gender Roles and Self-Expression Over time people’s views toward gender equality have improved drastically. Although the world is still not fully there, many more people now see women and men as equals. It was definitely not always that way though. Gender inequality was undoubtedly more prevalent in the previous centuries. In the 1800s and a majority of the 1900s, it was certainly a bigger issue. This is shown in the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, by Perkins Gilman, about a husband who acts in a patronizing and dominating manner towards his ill wife. The only escape she has is a fantasy she has created inside of her mind of a woman who is trapped within the yellow wallpaper in her room, who ultimately resembles herself. The woman is losing her mind more and more as the story progresses, and in …show more content…
His role of the dominant figure in the relationship was toxic to her health, and sanity. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is essentially a representation of women in the nineteenth century. Perkins Gilman touches upon the issues of imprisonment and psychological struggles placed on women by society. It was a patriarchal power structure in every way. Women had little to no say on anything, not even on their own lives. The story is an important part in understanding the circumstances of women in the nineteenth century, and how gender roles can affect them in many negative ways. Males dominated the workplace and the home. Women in the nineteenth century were to be content in their existence and nothing more. These women, and even women today, are expected to live by the standards and norms that society has put on women. Perhaps the whole notion of gender roles needs to be removed from society in order for men and women to finally be seen as
ENGL 1110-03
Nina Johnson
November 7, 2017
The World Through A Woman’s Eyes: Theme of Gender Roles and Self-Expression Over time people’s views toward gender equality have improved drastically. Although the world is still not fully there, many more people now see women and men as equals. It was definitely not always that way though. Gender inequality was undoubtedly more prevalent in the previous centuries. In the 1800s and a majority of the 1900s, it was certainly a bigger issue. This is shown in the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, by Perkins Gilman, about a husband who acts in a patronizing and dominating manner towards his ill wife. The only escape she has is a fantasy she has created inside of her mind of a woman who is trapped within the yellow wallpaper in her room, who ultimately resembles herself. The woman is losing her mind more and more as the story progresses, and in …show more content…
His role of the dominant figure in the relationship was toxic to her health, and sanity. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is essentially a representation of women in the nineteenth century. Perkins Gilman touches upon the issues of imprisonment and psychological struggles placed on women by society. It was a patriarchal power structure in every way. Women had little to no say on anything, not even on their own lives. The story is an important part in understanding the circumstances of women in the nineteenth century, and how gender roles can affect them in many negative ways. Males dominated the workplace and the home. Women in the nineteenth century were to be content in their existence and nothing more. These women, and even women today, are expected to live by the standards and norms that society has put on women. Perhaps the whole notion of gender roles needs to be removed from society in order for men and women to finally be seen as