Analysis of "The Yellow Wallpaper"
CHARLOTEE PERKINS GILLMAN
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER (1892)
The cult of true womanhood defined women as “ladies”(pure, diligent). When we talk about American woman, we have to specify their religion, sexual orientation, race, social class (it is therefore essentialist to talk about “women” in general. Depending on the group which they are in, certain coordinates are applicable.
The Yellow Wallpaper is about a white, protestant, heterosexual woman at the end of the 19th century in the higher middle class. Gilman wanted to obtain more freedom and in order to do so, she had to rebel against the most important institution oppressing her: MARRIAGE. (1)
Nowadays, the typical happy family is outdated and doesn’t exist.
Gilman lived at a time when the perfect family was imposed on women (spinsters and bachelors were frowned upon in protestant society).
The upper class women were brought up with the sole aim of being good housewives and mothers. The idea of a woman reading a book was frowned upon in society and they were only encouraged to read moralising and exemplary tales (eg. The angel in the house).
Young girls were accompanied by a “chaperone”, who had the role of looking after and policy them.
The Yellow Wallpaper takes place in a Victorian house and attic which used to be a nursery. Spaces in the house were GENDERED (some spaces were meant for men and some for women: kitchen, sitting room for women and library for men. The upper stories of the house become a gothic territory: THE ATTIC = discarded things
This space is exploited from a literary point of view, whereby women who don’t fit into the cult of true womanhood are enclosed /imprisoned (= old object that doesn’t work). The most important example of this is JANE EYRE (Mrs. Rochester is locked in the attic and dies in a fire so Mr. Rochester could Marry Jane, even though he became blind/She is imprisoned due to the colour of her skin. The husband can´t show her).
This is a literary image and
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER (1892)
The cult of true womanhood defined women as “ladies”(pure, diligent). When we talk about American woman, we have to specify their religion, sexual orientation, race, social class (it is therefore essentialist to talk about “women” in general. Depending on the group which they are in, certain coordinates are applicable.
The Yellow Wallpaper is about a white, protestant, heterosexual woman at the end of the 19th century in the higher middle class. Gilman wanted to obtain more freedom and in order to do so, she had to rebel against the most important institution oppressing her: MARRIAGE. (1)
Nowadays, the typical happy family is outdated and doesn’t exist.
Gilman lived at a time when the perfect family was imposed on women (spinsters and bachelors were frowned upon in protestant society).
The upper class women were brought up with the sole aim of being good housewives and mothers. The idea of a woman reading a book was frowned upon in society and they were only encouraged to read moralising and exemplary tales (eg. The angel in the house).
Young girls were accompanied by a “chaperone”, who had the role of looking after and policy them.
The Yellow Wallpaper takes place in a Victorian house and attic which used to be a nursery. Spaces in the house were GENDERED (some spaces were meant for men and some for women: kitchen, sitting room for women and library for men. The upper stories of the house become a gothic territory: THE ATTIC = discarded things
This space is exploited from a literary point of view, whereby women who don’t fit into the cult of true womanhood are enclosed /imprisoned (= old object that doesn’t work). The most important example of this is JANE EYRE (Mrs. Rochester is locked in the attic and dies in a fire so Mr. Rochester could Marry Jane, even though he became blind/She is imprisoned due to the colour of her skin. The husband can´t show her).
This is a literary image and