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During the 19th century, women were subjected to severe discrimination and were deeply influenced by society's rigid patriarchal norms. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" delves into the confinement of women within prescribed domestic roles, emphasizing the protagonist's intricate relationship with the nursery she is compelled to occupy and its symbolic wallpaper. Gilman exposes the urgent need for women's equality and liberation from patriarchal constraints by exploring the ongoing conflict between the narrator's yearning for creative expression and society's oppressive expectations.
The protagonist's connection to the nursery and its wallpaper serves as a metaphor for her relationship with her husband, John.
Initially, she experiences annoyance and frustration at the disquieting patterns adorning the nursery's wallpaper and the barred windows, which collectively resemble a room designed for the mentally disturbed. However, she passively attempts to suppress these emotions because John insists that the nursery aids in repressing her "harmful" fantasies.
Throughout the narrative, the narrator's creative instincts clash with John's rationality.
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While she grapples with stifling her expressive nature and, by extension, empathizes with the imprisoned woman within the wallpaper, John "scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures" (Gilman 166). This dichotomy in male and female characteristics aligns with Simon Baron-Cohen's theory, which posits that women tend to possess stronger empathizing tendencies while men exhibit greater systemizing inclinations on a population level.
While the narrator yearns to freely express her individuality, John embodies the belief that women should be confined to prescribed domestic roles.
Although differences exist between male and female characteristics, as suggested by Cohen's theory, Gilman ultimately underscores the importance of societal transformation, advocating for gender equality since men and women are inherently equal. Gilman advocates for women's emancipation from a patriarchal society by highlighting John's oppressive authority over the narrator.
Despite the narrator's desire to reside in a different room, John exploits his authority as her husband and physician, compelling her to endure the oppressive and surveillance-like atmosphere of the nursery and its unsettling wallpaper. John's pervasive dominance echoes anthropologist Peggy McIntosh's assertion that men often unconsciously benefit from male privilege, just as whites unconsciously enjoy certain privileges. McIntosh argues that belonging to a dominant gender or race affords considerable power and the ability to make choices (15).
Undoubtedly, John exercises his male privileges over his wife by wielding complete control over her mental and physical well-being. Through the stark contrast between the narrator's yearning for creative expression and society's submissive expectations of women, Gilman depicts the unjust patriarchal system and challenges society to liberate women to embrace their right to expression. As the narrator finally awakens from the oppressive restrictions imposed by her husband, her complex relationship with the wallpaper becomes clear.
While initially irritated by the disconcerting patterns of the nursery's wallpaper, the narrator gradually develops an obsession with it, particularly during the nighttime when she enjoys more freedom and autonomy while John sleeps. Gilman vividly portrays the narrator's identification with the woman struggling to break free from the wallpaper, symbolizing women's confinement within the patriarchy.
The powerful imagery of the narrator tearing down the wallpaper and asserting her own identity signifies the shedding of female passivity and the commencement of a fight for equal rights. By illustrating the narrator's emancipation from patriarchal oppression, Gilman offers hope to other women trapped within their metaphorical walls, encouraging them to recognize their intrinsic equality to men and their right to break free.
Through "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman poignantly critiques the oppressive patriarchal norms of the 19th century, emphasizing the urgent need for women's liberation and equal rights. The narrator's struggle with the wallpaper serves as a powerful symbol of women's confinement within a patriarchal society. Gilman's message is clear: we must globally strive to educate and empower women, helping them break free from the confines of societal expectations, and recognize their inherent equality to men.
"The Yellow Wallpaper": A Critique of Patriarchy. (2016, Dec 18). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-yellow-wallpaper-breaking-free-essay
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