Comparing Women In The Yellow Wallpaper And Sweat

Many people assume that in this modern society America as a whole has shifted away from sexism, believing that sexism today is only a small issue, but the bona fide reality is that with all the advancements and quality education prevalent, sexism and gender roles are prominent now more than ever. Both short stories, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, highlight two female protagonists, the narrator and Delia, who are married to two very different types of men, who are arguably equally as bad in their own ways. The juxtaposition between these two stories specifically underlines the subordination of women in relationships, revealing how in diverse situations women face similar challenges of being
In fact, they are both equally as bad in their own ways and overall have the same negative effect on women in society. When Sykes Jones criticizes his wife’s job, annoyed that Delia brought “‘white folks’ clothes’” into their house, Delia merely tries to defend herself and give credit to herself that she is the sole provider for their household, Sykes immediately responds angrily saying “‘don’t gimme no lip neither, else Ah’ll throw ‘em out and put mah fist up side yo’ head to boot’” (Hurston 176-177). It is evident how fragile Sykes’ masculinity is because he is unwilling to recognize all the things Delia does for him. This further indicates how when women offer value and righteousness to their partners, they are still constantly belittled and suppressed by men. This notion is presented similarly with the narrator and her husband, John, in the “The Yellow Wallpaper” where the narrator believes that being allowed to write would “relieve the press of ideas and rest [her]” but her husband and doctor pushes that it’ll only make matters worse and that resting is the only thing that will make her feel better (Gilman 79). The narrator is constantly being oppressed by men, her brother “is also a physician, also of high standing” agrees with the narrator’s husband about how her treatment should be handled. Both the narrator and Delia receive relatively the same attitudes from their
Therefore, this leads people to conform to this predetermined notion by society and show no desire to improve conditions of gender equality on a global scale. The vast majority of the men in Delia’s town hate Skyes. Old Man Anderson believes that Sykes has “got too biggety to live-- an’ [they] oughter to kill ‘im” and yet they do nothing about it because he is a man and Delia is a woman, thus reinforcing the gender roles that society has in place for men and women. Due to this, when Sykes takes Bertha out around town he truly believes that “this [is] his town” (Hurston 180). This goes further to show how because society sets this status quo that men are superior to women, it leads men to truly believe that’s how the system works and that it is normal for one gender to be held higher than another. Alexander Mussap stresses how “women and men are socialized to conform to gender-stereotyped roles” and once the conformity has been fully engraved into their mindsets, it “shape[s] women and men’s attitudes, preferences, emotional and physiological reactions, and behaviours” (Mussap). John’s sister, Jennie, takes care of the narrator, John asks “Jennie a lot of professional questions about me. She had a very good report to give” indicating she condemns the method of treatment John uses (Gilman 87). Thus, Jennie is also