The Yellow Wallpaper And Trifles

Women’s Voice in Literature In the late 1800s and early 1900s, women’s roles evolved from mere housewives to passionate activists who were fighting for rights to their share of the American dream. The main goal of the women participating in the fight was the right vote. In an effort to rally more to their cause, women used not only organized protests but employed literature to speak out. Written during this time period, “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Trifles” are works that portray women as passive timid beings that should listen to their counterparts. These two pieces were composed to expose the outrageous manner in which women were regarded. On the other hand, “Canceled” is a contemporary piece which depicts the female character as a …show more content…
In both “The Yellow Wallpaper” and in “Trifles,” the female characters were not given alternatives other than to abide by regulations enacted by the men. The narrator from “The Yellow Wallpaper” yielded to her husband’s orders to a passive lifestyle. She is depicted as having no choice but to concede to the male figure as did many women of the story’s time period. In the end, the narrator is pushed into a corner causing her mind to succumb to insanity as she had no options to deal with her ailments. Mrs. Wright from “Trifles,” experienced the same results. She fell into a manic state after enduring a passionless marriage with an emotionally abusive husband. In the time period in which “Trifles” was written, a woman did not have many options to escape an abusive marriage. As depicted by Mrs. Wright, one of the few ways to be free from a lifeless relationship was to take her husband’s life. On the other hand, “Canceled” portrayed Adie as having outs to her cage rather than being forced into a corner as the other two women. She chooses to have an abortion rather than be hampered by a teenage pregnancy. With options, Adie was able to make decisions that fit her goals in life. “Canceled” is a …show more content…
The sister-in-law is used by John as an extension of his authority over the narrator while he is away. She keeps a watchful eye on the narrator to control her creative expression. This dissonance between the two female characters relay the mindset of the women of that time period. Women in the late 19th century have yet to unify to fight for their rights and the depiction of woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” reveals this. On the other hand, in “Trifles” and “Canceled” the female characters are shown to be unified. In the last line in “Trifles,” “we call it—knot it, Mr. Henderson,” Leonard Mustazza claims, that “most critics have read this line as an ironic reference to the women's solidarity at this point.” During the early 1900s, women gathered together to fight for their rights “to vote and increased their educational and job opportunities. Perhaps most important, they fought for and to a large degree accomplished a reevaluation of traditional views of their role in society” (Woman’s History in America). “Canceled” also exhibits this unity by portraying the support of Adie’s mother, Bev, on Adie’s decision to have an abortion. When Samuel continuously pesters Adie, Bev