Comparing Women In The Yellow Wallpaper And The Story Of An Hour

Oppression in Marriage In the 19th century, women were traditionally known as having less importance in marriage, while it was the norm for the male husbands to be in control. The women were expected to watch over the home and were thought to be the person who should take care of the children in a family. Throughout history, many remarkable characters in literature have been created from the tension women have had to face with men and society in general. Two noteworthy short stories, âThe Yellow Wallpaper and âThe Story of an Hour, â take place in the 19th century, and focus on that tension. This specific era is very significant because it is a time when women were truly treated as second-class citizens. Both of the short stories criticize the male-dominated society and explore its oppression towards women. Oppression against women is key in the success of attaining freedom in both

While doing his best to make sure the narrator represses her imagination, John ultimately creates the very conditions he wants to prevent. The narrator starts to become insane, thinking that the wallpaper is looking at her and that there is a woman trapped behind the bars of the paper. The narrator says, âI really have discovered something at lastâ¦The front pattern does moveâand no wonder! The woman behind shakes it!â (Widger 1). When the narrator saw the woman captured by the wallpaper, she begins to want her freedom even more. She starts to realize that she too, is a prisoner. The more the thinks about it, the more insane she becomes. During the day, the narrator sees the woman walking around, which shows her that she can be free during the day at times, but is certainly trapped in the wallpaper at night. The author wrote, âI think that woman gets out in the day time! Iâve seen her! ...read