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Essay Comparing Awakening And The Yellow Wallpaper

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Imagine living in a society that restricts women from expressing themselves and acting as freely as they want. A society that places pressure on women to play the role of what women are supposed to be, which is the “mother figure or caretaker.” Till this day society still view women at an ever low stature compared to men. Women are always restricted as to how they are allowed to express themselves as individuals. In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper; the protagonists both live in a society that restrains women from obtaining the freedom they desire. In the stories, Edna’s and Jane’s quests for freedom in a confining society test their strength and lead to moments of madness or depression. …show more content…

After meeting Robert this is when her life began to change, in more ways than one. Edna Pontellier was never depicted as the “mother figure” so it is no surprise that Edna already sparked some rumors on what she is like towards the boys. Much like Edna, Jane was also never depicted as the “mother figure or caretaker” in The Yellow Wallpaper, but both of them have something in common. Both women are searching for their freedom. Edna’s freedom is the freedom to be able to freely express herself, while Jane’s freedom is be able to read and write as freely as she wants to. Throughout the story, Edna does numerous things in order to obtain this freedom she helplessly craves for. The first thing Edna does is neglect all housework; after returning from Grand Isle Edna was a changed woman. She felt that her routine life was no longer interesting to her and she began to ignore all her house chores. Edna also took up painting in her free time. The second thing Edna does is separate herself from the main house. By doing so, she moves herself into the pigeon house, where she is able to temporarily live a comfortable life alone. As the

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