Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Short Story

Words: 317
Pages: 2

Gilman's short story reflects her philosophies as a feminist while describing the treatment and expectations of women in this time period. In the Victorian time period, women are treated as inferior to men and are expected to be homemakers and mothers, but insufficient housekeepers are seen as useless or flawed. After being in the colonial mansion for a few weeks, John threatens to send Jane to "Weir Mitchell in the fall" if her health declines more. The threat John presents only comes from someone with authority, displaying a recessive and dominant relationship between Jane and John. Following the Fourth of July, the audience sees a distinct change in Jane’s attitude as she wishes John would “take [her] away” from the mansion. In this scene,