Oppression and the Wall Paper

Oppression, Patriarchy & Psychosis

The nineteenth century was a time of male domination and female suppression. Women faced economic, social, and freedom of rights barricades. Before the domino effect of women activist and feminists rocketed toward a glass ceiling, woman kind stood oppressed by society, oppressed by their husbands and families, oppressed by patriarchy and the law. “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Gilman, is a story representing the weight of patriarchal society that still lingers today; it motivated the female mind of creativity and mental strength through a patriarchal order of created gender roles and male power during the nineteenth century.

For the duration of the nineteenth century and scarcely beyond, men’s efforts and interests were towards the important people; themselves. This is shown when the narrator is genuinely concerned about something strange in the house. John, her husband who represents the characteristics of a typical male of his time, shows no empathy of support towards his own wife and mother of his children. Alternatively, John responds by telling her it “was a draught, and shut the window” (Gilman 904). Perhaps his carelessness for women contributed to the mistreatment of female illness by just giving them drugs to cope with sickness. The narrator continuously reminds her audience of the social expectations of the male in relation to females. She utilized phrases such as “ones expects that” and “John says...” to reinforce male’s normal actions and treatment aimed at the female population.

Males conduct also mirrored women’s position. Women were discourages to be “over stimulatingly intellectual” (Treichler 191) or to develop “foolish fantasies” but were pushed and urged to “exercise self control”. Women could not vote, nor hold leadership positions: political or religiously. It was not once recorded that a woman during this time was “elected of God” to minister the church. No main stream religion had ever, nor...