The Influence of Masculine Gender Roles in The Yellow...

Interpretive Essay on The Yellow Wallpaper The Yellow Wallpaper tells the story of a woman living in the nineteenth century who suffers from postpartum depression. The true meaning implicit in Charlottes story goes beyond a simple psychological speculation. The story consists of a series of cleverly constructed short paragraphs, in which the author illustrates, through the unnamed protagonists experiences, the possible outcome of womens acceptance of mens supposed intellectual superiority. The rigid social norms of the nineteenth century, characterized by oppression and discrimination against women, are supposedly among the causes of the protagonists depression. However, it is her husbands tyrannical attitude what ultimately†¦show more content†¦The events that marked the last decades of the nineteenth century led to important historical changes that resulted in a wide crisis of masculinity. Economic growth and advances in technology attracted immigrants to America and soon less-skilled workers outnumbered the highl y skilled ones. Mens self-making abilities were challenged by two factors: the increased competition, and the growing womens influence in the public arena. In order to fight these pressures and elevate their sense of manhood, the native-born men turned to social Darwinist arguments that relegated blacks, immigrants and women to rungs of the evolutionary ladder below white Anglo-Saxon men (qtd. in Furumota). Mens anxieties further increased with the public emergence of homosexuality in society. For the Middle class men, heterosexuality became a symbol of manhood, and heterosexual men began to define themselves in opposition to anything considered feminine (qtd. in Furumota). These factors constitute what Kimmel defines as the central themes of American manhood at the turn of the century that masculinity was increasingly an act, a form of public display; that men felt themselves on display at virtually all times; and that the intensity of the need for such display was increasing (Furumota). It is within this context that The Yellow Wallpaper takes place: a young America in which man takes risks, is confident, shines in sciences andShow MoreRelated Comparing Jane Eyre and Yellow Wallpaper1650 Words   |  7 PagesSimilarities Between Jane Eyre and Yellow Wallpaper   Ã‚   There are notable similarities between Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper and Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre. These similarities include the treatment of space, the use of a gothic tone with elements of realism, a sense of male superiority, and the mental instability of women. There is a similar treatment of space in the two works, with the larger, upstairs rooms at the summer lodging and at Thornfield Hall being associatedRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1667 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a semi- autobiography by author Charlotte Perkins Gilman who wrote it after going through a severe postpartum depression. Gilman became involved in feminist activities and her writing made her a major figure in the women s movement. Books such as â€Å"Women and Economics,† written in 1898, are proof of her importance as a feminist. Here she states that women who learn to be economically independent can then create equality between men and women. She wrote other books such asRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper, By Charlotte Perkins Gilman Essay1687 Words   |  7 PagesImmediately in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† readers are able to tell that the protagonist feels trappe d in the room, in which she is being placed. The female narrator also mentions to us that her husband â€Å"John is a physician, and perhaps –– (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind –– perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster† (Stetson 1892, 129). That is to say, this statement clearly indicates thatRead MoreComparing The Representation Of Women s The Yellow Wallpaper And Pride And Prejudice 1662 Words   |  7 PagesCompare the representation of women in Gilman’s ‘The yellow wallpaper’ and Austen’s ‘pride and prejudice’. To what extent do you agree with the view that Gilman presents conventional patriarchal expectations of women, more critically than Austen. 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The reference of â€Å"Sweat†Read MoreThe Cask Of Admontillado, By Edgar Allen Poe And The Yellow Wallpaper Essay1987 Words   |  8 PagesGender Roles in Literature Gender can be defined as the socially preconceived roles that are thought to be fitting for either men or women in a particular culture. These preconceived roles, stereotype men and women, ensnaring them into provincial boxes that prevent gender identity and expression (Fisher and Silber). Traditional gender roles, especially in the 18th and 19th century literature depicts women as delicate maidens, who are weak and submissive or as nurturing and sensitive characters takingRead MoreGender Roles Seen in Toys Essay1860 Words   |  8 PagesGender Roles and Toys By Shawna Robb English 101 Professor Solomon One room has pretty pink wallpaper with a princess border; the other is blue with monster trucks on one-wall and sports pictures on another. It is not hard to tell which room is female and which room is male. Male and female are used in this instance to define genders. Gender, unlike sex, is a universal guideline upon which individuals are placed. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behavior, and activitiesRead More The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper2395 Words   |  10 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopins story The Awakening and Charlotte Perkins Gilmans story The Yellow Wallpaper draw their power from two truths: First, each work stands as a political cry against injustice and at the socio/political genesis of the modern feminist movement. Second, each text is a gatekeeper of a new literary history. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman seem to initiate a new phase in textual history where literary conventions are revised to serve an ideology representative of theRead More Gender Confusion in Hitchcocks Film, Vertigo Essay2145 Words   |  9 PagesGender Confusion in Hitchcocks Film, Vertigo Post World War II America was a society full of anxiety. In the late 1950s Americans were deeply troubled by so many social shifts. Major changes were occurring both internally and externally. They were in the midst of the Cold War, and were vastly approaching the atomic age. There was a communist scare and fear of Russian expansion. Joseph McCarthy was hunting down major celebrities for their communist involvement and the Red Influence seemed to