Yellow Wallpaper Sexism

Authors can use literature of all kinds to shed criticism on a large array of sociopolitical aspects of society. In particular, aspects of feminist literature specifically critique patriarchal standards and the resulting relationship between men and women in society. The critiques made by feminist literature strive to shed light on sexism through representing patriarchal relationship and using literary tools to condemn them. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a popular American feminist, social reformer, and writer according to The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. A popular short story by Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, comments on the dominance of men over their wives in marriage. The short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is about a woman’s struggle …show more content…
First of all, John takes it upon himself to diagnose Jane with an illness and insists that she needs rest. It is important to note that John does this despite protests from Jane that she does not need this type of treatment. John’s dismissal of Jane’s objections is evident he does not respect her independence. The way John uses his power as a medical professional is a reflection of the authority husbands have to allow or not allow what their wives can do in the story. According to King et al. in “On not Reading”, the way men such as John, like medical professionals, use their language over others is stated here: “The medical profession thus exemplifies the mechanisms by which language sustains male power” (27). John uses his position as physician to both silence Jane and control what she does. With reference to John’s profession, King et al. goes on to state that men also have the power to state what is normal and abnormal, just as medical professionals do (27). John sought to confine who Jane was by seeking to change her deviating behavior from what he believed was normal; thus, John essentially exerts his control over what Jane should be like. Haney-Peritz’s in “Monumental Feminism” agrees that the oppressive use of power by …show more content…
There is evidence of both repression and freedom in the characters, setting, wallpaper, and in the woman in the wallpaper. As the story unfolds, Jane could recognize freedom around her and eventually took ownership of her freedom just as the woman in the wallpaper does. The very process of Jane finding liberation is in defiance of what her husband told her to do. These actions of Jane support the desire of women to break about from repression in

Show More

Rest Cure

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper