The Yellow Wallpaper as an Attack on Radical Feminism -- Yellow Wallpa

The Yellow paper as an Attack on Radical Feminism The Yellow wallpaper explores mental illness and, through this exploration, presents a critique of the place of women in a patriarchal society. Inte ride outingly, Charlotte Perkins Gilman never intended the latter. The primary intent of her gip story is to criticize of a physician prescribed treatment called rest cure. The treatment, which she underwent, required female patients to live as domestic a bread and neverthelesster as possible (Gilman). This op extinguishive treatment, however, parallels the oppression of women. As such, The Yellow cover has been interpreted as a feminist work. In the story, Gilman comments on the perspective of women, the nature and source of their confinement and the possible modes of escape. Afflicted by hysteria and nervous depression, the fabricator in this story, symbolic of all women, is confined. The condition of the fibber is such that she is absolutely forbidden to work and unable to relieve the press of ideas through creative endeavours. The narrator makes continued reference to immovable objects and thereby, creates a sense of confinement. Hedges and walls and gates that lock seem to enclose the colonial augury and hereditary estate. The garden is full of box-bordered paths. Everything is structured, rigid and restrictive. The windows of the nursery are barred. The narrator sleeps on a great immoveable bed which is nailed down. Yet, the nursery is a paradox of images the images of confinement are contrasted with descriptions of the nursery. The nursery is a big, airy inhabit that has windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore. and was, at one time, a playroom and gymnasium. The use of contrasting image... ...front her confinement the wrong way. It is through these events in the story that Gilman does seem to be criticizing women for seeking their freedom at the write down of men. Gilman, while attacking the repression and oppression of women, seems also to attack radical feminist movement by pointing out that contempt for the opposite sex does nothing to get ahead the feminist cause. Feminists, therefore, should be examples of proper conduct. They should continue to strive for equality but in a manner, that does not alienate men and other women. kit and boodle Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow paper. The Harbrace Anthology of Literature. Eds. Jon Stott, Raymond E. Jones, Rick Bowers. 2nd ed. Toronto Harcourt Brace, 1998. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Why I wrote the Yellow Wallpaper reprinted article. URL http//fmc.utm.edu/lalexand/reply.htm