Gender Representations: The Color Purple and The Yellow Wallpaper
Gender Representations:
The Colour Purple and The Yellow Wallpaper
Culturally throughout the world gender has been significant in forming social constructions, for years men and women have complied with the concept of women being the weaker sex. Alice Walker’s rites of passage novel The Colour Purple1 and Charlotte Gilman’s epistolary novella The Yellow Wallpaper2 represent gender in a similar way, and demonstrate the influence of the male roles within the lives of the two protagonists; physically, emotionally and culturally. Through examination of how gender roles affect not only the characters themselves, but also their relationships and marriages, it is viable to gain a deeper understanding of how both characters are subject to patriarchy within their cultural societies. Celie, the protagonist in The Colour Purple (TCP) and the unnamed protagonist from The Yellow Wallpaper (TYW) both feel unable to defend themselves due to social conditioning. ‘I don’t fight, I stay where I’m told. But I’m alive.’ (p.22 TCP) Celie’s lack of desire to fight against her husband Mr__, conveys her fear of abuse, knowing that leaving him would only cause her more problems. Throughout the text, it talks of the physical, mental and sexual abuse she was a victim of from a young age, and how she is told to ‘git used to it’, (p.3 TCP) illustrating the hierarchal social norms of the family setting. Later on in the text when Celie is forced in to marriage with Mr__ it is clear that her fear of men develops. ‘I think about every time I jump when Mr__ call me,’ (p.35-36 TCP) Celie’s character is a representation of how women were treated in this culture, a symbol of fear and oppression, where women were subservient to their husbands and men within society. The social norms of this culture and how women were viewed is displayed in Celie’s character by the constant orders given to her by Mr__ and how she was forced to engage in sexual intercourse. It could be suggested that
The Colour Purple and The Yellow Wallpaper
Culturally throughout the world gender has been significant in forming social constructions, for years men and women have complied with the concept of women being the weaker sex. Alice Walker’s rites of passage novel The Colour Purple1 and Charlotte Gilman’s epistolary novella The Yellow Wallpaper2 represent gender in a similar way, and demonstrate the influence of the male roles within the lives of the two protagonists; physically, emotionally and culturally. Through examination of how gender roles affect not only the characters themselves, but also their relationships and marriages, it is viable to gain a deeper understanding of how both characters are subject to patriarchy within their cultural societies. Celie, the protagonist in The Colour Purple (TCP) and the unnamed protagonist from The Yellow Wallpaper (TYW) both feel unable to defend themselves due to social conditioning. ‘I don’t fight, I stay where I’m told. But I’m alive.’ (p.22 TCP) Celie’s lack of desire to fight against her husband Mr__, conveys her fear of abuse, knowing that leaving him would only cause her more problems. Throughout the text, it talks of the physical, mental and sexual abuse she was a victim of from a young age, and how she is told to ‘git used to it’, (p.3 TCP) illustrating the hierarchal social norms of the family setting. Later on in the text when Celie is forced in to marriage with Mr__ it is clear that her fear of men develops. ‘I think about every time I jump when Mr__ call me,’ (p.35-36 TCP) Celie’s character is a representation of how women were treated in this culture, a symbol of fear and oppression, where women were subservient to their husbands and men within society. The social norms of this culture and how women were viewed is displayed in Celie’s character by the constant orders given to her by Mr__ and how she was forced to engage in sexual intercourse. It could be suggested that
Bibliography: Walker, Alice. (1983) The Colour Purple. Phoenix; London. 2004 Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. (1892) The Yellow Wallpaper, Small and Maynard; Boston, Ma. 1996