Women during Victoria Era
For centuries, women have been struggling to balance their social and family responsibilities. They constantly try their best to fulfill their duties as a mother and wife; however, they have forgotten to live their lives. It was even more difficult in the late nineteenth century when women often found themselves trapped in the house most of the time. In “The Yellow-Wallpaper,” author Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses powerful symbolism, irony, and figurative language to address the role of women and medicine during late nineteenth century America.
First, in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, author Gilman describes the social structure that support the nineteenth century’s ideal of patriarchy and women are subject to male authority, …show more content…
When the narrator first encounters the garden, she is very excited about it. Later on, she describes, “the garden, those mysterious deep shaded arbours [sic], the riotous old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly” (page). The wallpaper is a symbolic metaphor for her rising madness and depression that is invading her mind day by day. Similarly, the moonlight is metaphoric reference to the narrator’s freedom during night. As the narrator observes the wallpaper, “then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard.”(Gilman 654). This illustrates the activity cycle, which the narrator secretly engages with at night. It seems like the women in the wallpaper is incapable of doing anything in the “bright spot” because she is afraid of revealing her actions. Nonetheless, the “shady spot” allows her to “shakes” the bar crazily as if her life depended on it. As the scholar De-gui demonstrates, “the moonlight may represent a time of relief and equality between the sexes, when the feminine subconscious experiences an influx of new …show more content…
The author also tries to explore the true reason why some women become insane after getting married. Thus, the women should stop seeing themselves as a subject to the men and try to break out from the conformity that keeps them from being themselves. The story also raises awareness of the right to self-expression that everyone should have regardless of his or her gender and background. Significantly, the story also criticizes the ignorance that men hold to enforce the women’s right in certain ways. As well, the insufficiency of medical knowledge that most physicians and doctors use makes the others’ lives more miserable after treatment. At last, the women whom Gilman portrays in the story represent the ideal new women. Gilman calls for the feminist movement that encourages women to have will power to stand up for themselves without depending on men. "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will." Charlotte Brontë (Jane
For centuries, women have been struggling to balance their social and family responsibilities. They constantly try their best to fulfill their duties as a mother and wife; however, they have forgotten to live their lives. It was even more difficult in the late nineteenth century when women often found themselves trapped in the house most of the time. In “The Yellow-Wallpaper,” author Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses powerful symbolism, irony, and figurative language to address the role of women and medicine during late nineteenth century America.
First, in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, author Gilman describes the social structure that support the nineteenth century’s ideal of patriarchy and women are subject to male authority, …show more content…
When the narrator first encounters the garden, she is very excited about it. Later on, she describes, “the garden, those mysterious deep shaded arbours [sic], the riotous old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly” (page). The wallpaper is a symbolic metaphor for her rising madness and depression that is invading her mind day by day. Similarly, the moonlight is metaphoric reference to the narrator’s freedom during night. As the narrator observes the wallpaper, “then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard.”(Gilman 654). This illustrates the activity cycle, which the narrator secretly engages with at night. It seems like the women in the wallpaper is incapable of doing anything in the “bright spot” because she is afraid of revealing her actions. Nonetheless, the “shady spot” allows her to “shakes” the bar crazily as if her life depended on it. As the scholar De-gui demonstrates, “the moonlight may represent a time of relief and equality between the sexes, when the feminine subconscious experiences an influx of new …show more content…
The author also tries to explore the true reason why some women become insane after getting married. Thus, the women should stop seeing themselves as a subject to the men and try to break out from the conformity that keeps them from being themselves. The story also raises awareness of the right to self-expression that everyone should have regardless of his or her gender and background. Significantly, the story also criticizes the ignorance that men hold to enforce the women’s right in certain ways. As well, the insufficiency of medical knowledge that most physicians and doctors use makes the others’ lives more miserable after treatment. At last, the women whom Gilman portrays in the story represent the ideal new women. Gilman calls for the feminist movement that encourages women to have will power to stand up for themselves without depending on men. "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will." Charlotte Brontë (Jane