Women Oppression: Revolution through Revelation

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1. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” to evaluate and review the role that women played in the eternal bond of marriage and also to shed light upon the fact that women of that period made none of their own decisions. Something that must be pointed out without foregoing any further analysis is that the name of the narrator is never revealed in full which, one can imagine, is a glimpse into the oppression women faced during this time. Without revealing the name of the narrator, Gilman deprives her of a true identity. This offers an underlying theme that, as the story matures, can be seen more clearly.
From the very beginning of “The Yellow Wallpaper” the reader is given a feeling of taboo with the secret diary which with the whole story is conveyed through. The narrator has been advised by her over bearing and arrogant husband to relieve herself of any intellectual stimulus as a remedy for an illness. She disagrees and thinks that “excitement and change” would be the perfect remedy (Gilman 1670). Her husband quickly sets her straight by explained that even the fact that she is pondering the idea is making her condition worse. This demeaning behavior drives her keep this secret diary in which she can expresses and relieve herself “in spite” of her husband (Gilman 1670). In the first entry into the secret diary, Gilman provides many symbols that will play a large role later in the story. Towards the end of the first entry the narrator gives a description of the walls of her new bedroom. Very frankly the narrator states, “I never saw such worse paper in my life.” (Gilman 1671) With this dialogue the narrator gives the reader a call for help, so to speak. The walls of...

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...Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 1669-1681. Print.
James, Henry. "Daisy Miller: A Study." Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of AMerican Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 1511-1549. Print.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Daisy Miller Theme of Hypocrisy." 11 November 2008. Shmoop.com. Web. 19 May 2014.
Shullo, Christin. "An Analysis of Mary E. WIlkins Freeman's A New England Nun." 15 April 2008. Yahoo Contributor Network. Web. 18 May 2014.
SparkNotes Editors. "SparkNote on The Yellow Wallpaper." 30 April 2014. Sparknotes.com. Web. 18 May 2014.
SparNotes Editors. "SparkNote on The Story of an Hour." n.d. Sparknotes.com. 18 May 2014.
Todd, Brittany. "A New England Nun by Mary E. Wilkins Analysis and Summary." 13 November 2013. Liveplan.com. Web. 19 May 2014.

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