The Importance Of Eugenics In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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Eugenics, which had started long before my time, had once been defined as including free love and prevention of conception… Recently it had cropped up again in the form of selective breeding. (Margaret Sanger) Charlotte Perkins Gilman is as well known today for her feminist fiction as for her political essays. The author of the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” she attracted attention, in part, for her writings on women and work. Herland represents an outflow of the author Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s maternal feminist values. It presents a feminist critique of society, and is an example of utopian literature. The content of Herland was influential upon its publication (originally in a magazine), and experienced a revival in the 1970s, when …show more content…

Eugenics, the set of beliefs and practices which aim at improving the genetic quality of the human population played a significant role in the history and culture of United States prior to its involvement in World War Two. (Wiki) Gilman is the writer of late 19th and early 20th century and during this century which is known as progressive era, Eugenics was considered a method of preserving and improving the dominant groups in the population. The idea of Eugenics was brought up by Sir Francis Galton in America. They think that by the idea of eugenics there will be a development in a society. America also made American Breeder’s Association which later on founded the Eugenics Record office, and with certain mission and, in their mission statement, they wrote: Society must protect itself; as it claims the right to deprive the murder of his life so it may also annihilate the hideous serpent of hopelessly vicious protoplasm. Here is where appropriate legislation will aid in eugenics and creating a healthier, saner society in the …show more content…

Gilman consistently refers to the people living to in the valleys below Herland as “savages” and presents no evidence to substantiate this claim. As for eugenics she seems to believe that character “flaws” can be bred out of humanity as she repeatedly states that only the most virtuous women are allowed to enjoy the gift of maternity. The book describes a women-based Utopia, the last two boys dying, leaving only females to create an extremely elastic civilization. However, the arrival of the three explorers is regarded as a blessing, allowing the Herland citizens to get back to a bi-sexual society. (refer site-

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