The Story Of An Hour And Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The...

In Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper we see two marriages that are shaped by the hands of society at large and the husbands. Marriage in the upper classes in the late 1800s to the turn-of-the-century was primarily done to increase one party’s social standing, and as such divorce was generally severely frowned upon. Divorce, beginning at the wife’s behest at least, was unprecedented until the latter half of the 1800s. Both marriages center on women who are completely stifled under the thumb of society’s dictations about the domestic roles of women as well as the dismissive natures of their respective husbands. Mrs. Mallard in Story of an Hour gains a sense of self coupled with the taste of a†¦show more content†¦In Story of an Hour, upon learning of her husband’s possible death, Mrs. Mallard â€Å"wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment†¦When the storm of grief had passed, she went away to her room alone.† (Chopin, 476) Up until the last few paragraphs, most of Story of an Hour is set within this singular room. In The Yellow Wallpaper, we find that the most of the story takes place in one room, a room that was once a nursery where â€Å"the paint and paper looks as if a boys’ school had used it. It is stripped off†¦in great patches†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gilman, 479) The singular focus on the women in these rooms reflects society’s expectations of women remaining to care for the home, their absolute insistence on enduring these private, domestic lives. Especially in Gilman’s story we see the narrator being held hostage by society’s dictates. â€Å"Her supposition that the room in which she is confined†¦means that she has correctly divined its function(s) as†¦disciplinary schooling.† (Crewe) From the narrator’s own perspective, upon originally arriving in the nursery, she describes rings placed around in the walls, as well as the bed itself being nailed down to the floor. She perceives a woman, further along into her descent, who â€Å"just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard† continuing the theme of her imprisonment. (Gilman, 487) The narrator is plainly restrained by society’s desires as well as The Story Of An Hour And Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The... A Women’s Role in a Patriarchal Society During the 19th Century Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper are two of the first works of feminist literature in the 19th century. They were written at a time when a woman’s lot was characterized by gender inequality, with few legal, social, or political rights. In the 19th century women were constant victims of society’s ideals, defined as physically and intellectually weaker than men. Fathers and husbands implemented certain rules and standards, whilst also expecting women to remain subservient. Occupational choices were also extremely limited, with the majority of jobs being menial and low paid, because women were generally expected to remain at home, care for their children and run the household. During this age women also had very little political standing and were not allowed to vote (Hughes). Literature increasingly played a significant role in both reinforcing and challenging the economic, political, social, and psycholo gical oppression of women. In these two stories, we gain a snap shot of masculine and feminine characteristics portrayed by the characters and their actions. These actions either endorse or destabilize the socially accepted stereotypes of the time. The Story of an Hour demonstrates the psychological problems pinned on women by men. This story was a breakthrough in feminist literature because it did not just picture a mad woman, like Gilman does in The YellowShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of An Hour And Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The Yellow Wallpaper1422 Words   |  6 PagesIn Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper we see two marriages that are shaped by the hands of society at large and the husbands. Marriage in the upper classes in the late 1800s to the turn-of-the-century was primarily done to increase one party’s social standing, and as such divorce was generally severely frowned upon. Divorce, beginning at the wife’s behest at least, was unprecedented until the latter half of the 1800s. Both marriages center on womenRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Of An Hour And Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The Yellow Wallpaper908 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin’s â €Å"The Story of an Hour† and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† are two short stories that share similar themes and ideas. The authors’ use of point of view, symbolism, and imagery are different but still convey the same basic idea. Both stories cover the theme of marriage and share the idea that marriage is oppressive. The stories focus on two wives desperate to break from the control of their husbands. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† the woman’s husband is a doctor thereforeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper1727 Words   |  7 Pages Analysis of the Short Story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Originally published in January 1892 issue of New England Magazine. Charlotte Perkins Gilman s short story The Yellow Wallpaper was personal to her own struggles with anxiety and depression after the birth of her daughter with her first husband and S. Weir Mitchell s resting cure treatment she received. The Yellow Wallpaper describes, from the patients point of view, the fall into madness of a woman who is creativelyRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman1116 Words   |  5 PagesThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† written by Charlotte Gilman is a chilling portrayal of a woman’s downward spiral towards madness after undergoing treatment for postpartum depression in the 1800’s. The narrator, whose name remains nameless, represents the hundreds of middle to upper- class women who were diagnosed with â€Å"hysteria† and prescribed a â€Å"rest† treatment. Although Gilman’s story was a heroic attempt to â€Å"save people from being driven crazy† (GilmanRead More Freedom for Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin1202 Words   |  5 Pagesfor Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin are two feminist works in which liberation is the overlying theme. Both of the main characters achieve freedom from their husbands oppression in these short stories; however, freedom is only achieved through insanity in The Yellow Wallpaper and death in The Story of an Hour. The women in theseRead More Understanding The Yellow Wallpaper1209 Words   |  5 PagesUnderstanding The Yellow Wallpaper      Ã‚   There are more reported cases of clinical depression in women than their are in men. There is also, generalized in western cultures, a stereotype that women are fragile and should be more dedicated to maintaining the home, doing feminine things, that they shouldnt work, and be discouraged from intellectual thinking. In the Victorian period (1837-1901) aside from womens suffragette movements the Victorian woman usually upheld this stereotype of a wellRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper, By Charlotte Perkins Gilman, And The Story Of An Hour1409 Words   |  6 Pagessociety than what they do today. There are many stories that can help provide a glimpse of what life was like in the 1800s using a literary device known as realism. Realism is correctly portrayed in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, written by Kate Chopin, in which both depict real life situations and scenarios of what it was like to be a woma n in the late 19th century. In both of these short stories, the women are depicted as being tied down byRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman999 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a story of a woman s psychological breakdown, which is shown through an imaginative conversation with the wallpaper. The relationship between the female narrator and the wallpaper reveals the inner condition of the narrator and also symbolically shows how women are oppressed in society. The story, read through a feminist lens, reflects a woman s struggle against the patriarchal power structure. In the â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the wallpaperRead More Oppression of Women in Chopins Story of an Hour and Gilmans Yellow Wallpaper 1246 Words   |  5 PagesChopins Story of an Hour and Gilmans Yellow Wallpaper    The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman share the same view of the subordinate position of women in the late 1800s. Both stories demonstrate the devastating effects on the mind and body that result from an intelligent person living with and accepting the imposed will of another. This essay will attempt to make their themes apparent by examining a brief summery of their stories and relatingRead MoreExperience Told Through Charlotte Perkinss Writing Essay985 Words   |  4 Pages Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrought The Yellow Wallpaper while she was recovering from her depression. She had suffered from the depression and to describe what she went through, she wrote the short story to describe her own experiences. The main treatment she was treated with, and the character in the short story were treated with, was the rest cure. In which it would last about six to eight weeks, which involved isolation from friends and family. In the story sh e is isolated for the most part when