Essay On Patriarchy Comparing Garden Party And The Yellow Wallpaper

There are some minor differences between Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” but the similarities between the two stories are evident and thus, they can be compared. One similarity is the presence of patriarchy. Another is the responsibilities of the “home” and/or “home life” being the sole responsibilities of the woman in the stories.
One of the similarities between the “Garden Party” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the existence of patriarchy in the stories. One way in which this can be identified in the “Garden Party” is through the following quote, “I suppose you didn’t hear of the beastly accident that happened today” – Mr. Sheridan (Mansfield 9). Mrs. Sheridan replies, “My dear, holding up her hand, we did. It nearly ruined the party. Laura insisted we should put it off” (Mansfield 9). Prior to this conversation Mrs. Sheridan was giving off quite a different mood on the topic, a sense of indifference, an emotion which would illustrate that she couldn’t care less.
This can be concluded by the scene in which Laura comes two her mother in a hurry to tell her to stop the “garden party,” saying, “Mother, a man’s been killed.” Her mother replies, “Not in the garden?” “No, no” says
One aspect being how “family life” in the stories’ are governed by patriarchy. Illustrated in “The Garden Party” by scenarios like the one in which Laura is handed a basket of food for their mourning neighbors’, and in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the prescription of “rest cure” for the narrator by her husband. In support of the other point, the sole duties and/or responsibilities of the woman in the stories concerning “home life,” comes the mention of Jennie with regards to “The Yellow Wallpaper” and set-up of the “garden party” being done by the woman of the