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The Yellow Wallpaper: Male Oppression - Online Term Paper

The Yellow Wallpaper: Male Oppression



The story, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, follows the day-to-day life of a woman on the verge of insanity. One must take a closer look at the symbolism through out the story in order to understand the true meaning of the story. The symbolism present in The Yellow Wallpaper portrays a woman oppressed by male dominance in the 19th century, and eventually giving up her sanity for her freedom.
One of the most common symbols connected with women is the house. Usually the house represents a woman’s self-expression, however, in this story, the house represents a prison in which the narrator is trapped. The house is not her house. She refers to it in the introduction as “a ...

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is the window in the nursery. In most cases, a window symbolizes a view of hope. In this story though, the window has bars on it, symbolizing imprisonment or oppression.
An additional symbol of the narrator’s oppression is her husband, John. He is considered to be “a physician of high standing” (p.630). This along with the fact that he is her husband makes any opposition from the narrator seemingly impossible. To make matters worse, John treats the narrator not as his wife, but more as a helpless child. The narrator eventually acts childlike when she states, “Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able,- to dress and entertain, and order things” (p.632). This statement suggests that she believes she is helpless and incapable of taking care of herself. John’s constant failure to listen to the narrator’s feelings frustrates her and forces her to obey his command. John’s power over the narrator is illustrated when she says, “at first he meant to repaper ...

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The Yellow Wallpaper: Male Oppression. (2005, September 27). Retrieved March 29, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Yellow-Wallpaper-Male-Oppression/33987
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"The Yellow Wallpaper: Male Oppression." Essayworld.com. September 27, 2005. Accessed March 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Yellow-Wallpaper-Male-Oppression/33987.
"The Yellow Wallpaper: Male Oppression." Essayworld.com. September 27, 2005. Accessed March 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Yellow-Wallpaper-Male-Oppression/33987.
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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 9/27/2005 12:35:01 PM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Free Paper
Words: 1129
Pages: 5

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