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Culture Of Domesticity Analysis

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Recommended: Gender roles in 20th century literature

Leslie Perez
Culture of Domesticity
Hour 3

Several ideologies that influenced social culture and provoked social sanctions derived from society’s perception of perfection. One idealistic revolution of women was the Culture of Domesticity. The Culture of Domesticity made its mark on the ideal image of women and their place in society in the late nineteenth century up until the early twentieth century. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman compare the ideology’s elements of being in separate spheres and being mentally subordinate.
Jane and the creeping woman in The Yellow Wallpaper and Louis in The Story of an Hour are similar as they are both kept from the public sphere. For instance, …show more content…

Relating to this, Louis is also kept from the public sphere. She is formally known as Mrs.Mallard, Brently Mallard’s wife. Brently Mallard’s name was at the top of the list of citizens killed in a railroad accident, tying his name to significance in the public sphere. Since Louise’s own name is discarded when she is addressed and is left with only her husband’s name, it supports the idea of her identity being overshadowed by her husbands; it is implied that her name does not exist in the public sphere, nor her identity. Therefore, Jane in The Yellow Wallpaper and Louis are faced with obstacles keeping them inside the private sphere. In addition to The Yellow Wallpaper, the creeping woman seen outside the window was also kept inside the private sphere. This woman was seen creeping in order to not be seen and appeared to be secretive or doing something wrong. She also appeared to be completely still in very bright spots. This illustrates that the creeping woman represents the women who were forced to creep and hide behind domestic patterns because they had to be obedient in remaining in the private sphere. Along with the creeping woman, Louis had no other choice than to be in the private sphere. Louis lived …show more content…

They are also seen as mentally subordinate because of their health conditions, with Jane having a nervous condition and Louise having heart troubles. Both of these literary works reveal how the Culture of Domesticity made its mark on the ideal image of women and their place in

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