Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Feminism and 'The Yellow Wallpaper'

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a feminist who advocated for women’s rights, political equality, and equal domestic roles in marriage during the Victorian Era. Gilman was raised by her mother after her father abandoned her at a young age. She struggled with depression for much of her life. Charlotte Gilman committed suicide on August 17, 1935, after being diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer. She published “The Yellow Wallpaper” in 1892, after receiving an unusual treatment for depression. It is believed that Gilman wrote this story to describe one of her treatments. “‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is generally considered to be Gilman's greatest literary achievement and has been reprinted regularly since its 1899 publication” (Stone). “The Yellow Wallpaper” shows the struggle that women of the 1800s went through to have freedom of thought while being dominated by male figures. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a story told in first-person narration through a collection of journal entries unfolding the effects of male domination over women. The story is …show more content…

Gilman uses foreshadowing to hint that the story will take a twist and allow the reader to prepare for a change in the story. The use of verbal irony is noted several times throughout the story as sarcastic undertones, to bring attention to the relationship between the narrator and her physician husband. The use of symbolism is used to promote the theme during the story. The wallpaper is symbolic of the imprisoned life that marriage and children bring on women, especially during the Victorian Era. The theme of this short story stays constant throughout. Gilman uses the narrator’s journal entries to portray the male domination over women through foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism. Examples of the story breakdown and demonstrate each

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