Gender Inequality In The Yellow Wallpaper

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, was first published in January 1892. It is a classic piece of gothic fiction which describes the struggles of a woman who has been prescribed with the rest cure after being diagnosed with “nervous depression.” During the time period the story was written, women were treated unfairly and faced discrimination by men. In the short story, the narrator is put into a room with a mysterious wallpaper under the guidance of her husband, John. She is facing gender inequality by John since she lacks autonomy in their marriage. The narrator’s time in the room shows the lack of control she has over her own life and how her experiences with the woman in the wallpaper helped her obtain freedom. …show more content…
The narrator’s illness got to her and she soon started ripping off pieces of the wallpaper. “Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled heads and bulbous eyes and waddling fungus growths just shriek with derision!” (146). Ripping off the wallpaper gives the narrator a sense of freedom. This action is a symbol of freedom since the paper imprisoned her from the world around her. The wallpaper held her back from making her own judgements. Peeling the yellow wallpaper was the only way for her to progress from her state of depression and to gain back the control that was taken away from her. The narrator is content now that the yellow wallpaper is no longer in the room. “I quite enjoyed the room, now it is bare again” (145). Now that the room is free from the yellow wallpaper, it is as if a burden was released from the narrator. The wallpaper is what made the narrator feel uncomfortable with the room she stayed in and after it was taken down, a weight was lifted off her shoulders and she can now relax and be free. Now that the room was rid of the yellow wallpaper, the narrator locks herself inside the room and throws the key out the window, under a plantain leaf. She tells John “several times, very gently and slowly, and said it so often that he had to go and see, and …show more content…
First, the narrator lacked autonomy over her life as all her decisions were made under the influence of John. Then, she became imprisoned in the room with the yellow wallpaper after she was prescribed with the rest cure. During her stay in the room she noticed a woman in the wallpaper, and through these experiences with the woman, it helped her gain freedom. After tearing down the wallpaper, the narrator broke free from John’s orders and soon achieved the control she never had. This short story highlights the themes of gender inequality that women faced during the time period it was written in. In today’s society, women are now able to vote, join the workforce, take part in politics, and more. These opportunities were not available to women during the 1800s. Today’s society is now much more open for opportunities for each gender and it should remain that way for generations to
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