The book the yellow paper is about a woman and her husband John, who rented a house in a secluded estate. The writer describes the house, and I quote, as a big and airy room, with the whole floor nearly done, windows looking all ways, and serene air and sunshine galore. It was meant to be a nursery first and then playroom and finally a gymnasium. The narrator suffers from a temporary nervous depression as believed by her husband. He orders for her rest as much as possible and allocates a room for the two of them. The narrator feels completely uncomfortable with the idea but since her husband is a medical doctor, he wins all the arguments. She believes the house is haunted and thus she loses her peace of mind. With her husband not allowing her to participate in any activity, she becomes obsessed with yellow wallpaper. It had the picture of a woman whom she believed was trapped in it. She becomes determined saying that she must free the woman by stripping off the paper from the wall. The above literature can be used to show the controversial issues in today’s society. Such items have been passed from generation to generation going through different millennia. One of the controversial issues is feminism. The following article will thus seek to explore questions relating to infringement of female rights, their roles both out and inside their homes and the forces of the patriarchal society.
A feminist’s assumption is that women have the same place as men in the political, social and even religious affiliations. It also states that women be presented with the same opportunities for handling personal choices based on political interests, careers and their freedom of expression. A feminist’s text relates to the oppression by a patriarchal power and the formation of social standards, as well as, protocols.(Charlotte, 56) It points to a deficiency in the society regarding presentation of equal opportunities. However, in the works of fiction, the main character personifies the struggles against masculine domination. (Golden, 98). The yellow paper presents the main character as struggling against the male domination, egocentric thinking and the societal norms. The text may impress a reader who takes note of the puerile treatment that the heroin undergoes. This is in the hands of her husband John, who believes that he is just trying to help her. (Gilman, 153) However, what John forgot was that he was driving her mad. These had devastating effects on the wife since his behaviours were inappropriate and restrictive. He says that with his imaginative power and the habit of story-telling, a nervous weakness is sure to lead to all the excited fancies. This gives the difference between the narrator and the husband which shows weakness and tendency that must be curbed. (Charlotte, 71)
On the surface of the text, clues containing Gilman’s perception of the treatment towards women and their roles can be noticed. The main characters at one time use technical words like phosphates meaning that women were overlooked in the education sector. She continues to affirm this by demonstrating the normalcy of women towards non-technicality. She says that women should not have a reason to worry about phosphates that is a scientific realm accorded to men. (Gilman, 66) An illusion is also created in the first pages that women belongs to the kitchen. In the world of natural pages; however, a woman would be highly fascinated by a garden. Gilman personality in the book comes out as an obedient and a naïve wife who obeys everything that her husband says. She consistently blames herself for being unreasonably angry and is critical of her disorder as she has been made to believe so by her husband and doctors. In spite of her intrinsic objection, she obliges for treatment of her depression because her husband desires so. Martha J. Cutter discusses how in many of Gilman's works she addresses the struggle in which a male-dominated medical field attempts to silence women.(Charlotte, 102)
The wallpaper presents the focal point of the story. This is because it holds within it a variety of descriptive metaphors relating to the constant discrimination and oppression towards women in today’s society. Gilman patiently and methodically exposes the insight and meaning that is contained in the wallpaper. She uses titbits which guide the reader in seeing the symbol of authority that men represented. Fascination of the ugly paper by the main character begins as an innocent annoyance before busting to an obsession. The beauty of the story is however the fact that the slow build-up is subtle and only on keen analysis can the symbols in the paper be noticed. The characters in the story cannot recognize the contents of the wallpaper, and it is this struggle that moves the reader.
The text is spiced with a variety of metaphors and allegories. There is a strong paper smell that pervades the house. This was to give a sense of inescapable justice just as the form of unwritten social rules that governed Gilman’s house. The paper gradually develops from a bulbous eye to the shaking of bars by a woman.(Charlotte, 63) The text also contains several vague images that acts as a recipe of male dominance. Gilman states that the wallpaper is constantly lurking just as the rejection she underwent as a feminine writer. The story stains its characters as in the real world of a father passing a button to his son. A changing light in the paper shows a variety of chauvinism. Each one can be interpreted as the male-centralism and its effects on the female gender and the society as a whole.
The paper pattern is one of the strongest images of the text. Some traits can only be seen under particular conditions that change over time. This can be interpreted as the subtle discrimination that women do face. These types of perceptions can be neatly framed such that they pass by without the masses noticing. (Golden, 54) The paper odour is also to neatly framed to denote the effects of male domination. The foul smell is described figuratively such that it can easily repulse an individual. Most women’s careers and goals have been chopped of just as the central character tore down the wallpaper. She creeps to her husband a sign of triumph. Bits of paper also remained on the wall to denote that indeed action needed to be taken in terms of both social and economic equality of men and women.
In conclusion, it is important to note that the oppression of women is a vice in the society that should be halted. Several strides e.g. modernization under capitalism have been made to ensure that such discrimination meted to our women is stopped. However, the variety of oppressions such as racism, and sexism can only be stopped by the sobriety of mind and changes in one’s attitude towards women. Various legislative laws should also be enacted and activist that fights for women rights and reforms that questions women’s rights started. Measures that are thus protective and emancipation to our women are vital to championing women rights. Violence against women, discrimination in leadership positions, negative societal attitudes towards the female gender, educational denial and other varied oppressions should be rapidly fought as fast as possible.
Full equality will thus only be achieved with sole destruction of the cause of inequality. It will thus be a guarantee of equality of races, sex, and even nationality. The workplace, the legal system and even the educational system will be free of biasness previously meted on women gender.
Works cited
Golden, J.Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Making of "The Yellow Wall-Paper"New York. Oxford University Press. (2010).
Gilman, P, C. The Yellow Wall Paper. Hartford.Kessinger Publishing.(2004).
Charlotte P, G.The Yellow Wall-Paper: A Sourcebook and Critical Edition. New York. Rout ledge. (2004).
Gilman, C, P. "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper", the Forerunner. (2006).
