There is no doubt that “The Yellow Wallpaper” has played a tremendous role in the equality of women then and now. The era that this story takes place in is known for it’s unfair treatment of women, but this did not stop strong-willed and impactful writers like Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This author paved the way for women’s rights through her writing by bringing up social topics such as the way men and women’s relationships were portrayed, women’s creativity, and the many operations of patriarchy. Gilman reveals the inequality between men and women by showing how each gender was treated in this era. The relationship of John and the narrator is portrayed to be healthy and loving in the beginning when the narrator states, “He is very careful and …show more content…
Another instance of the narrator’s creativity is her analogy she makes of herself and the “woman” in the wallpaper. Her mind constructs an imaginary being in the wall that eventually leads to finding her strength and herself. This shows creativity because the narrator used the situation she was forced into to help her find a sense of independence. The economic, social, and psychological operations of patriarchy are revealed in many ways throughout the story. The economic side of patriarchy surfaces when the story hints that the narrator does not have a job, but John does. He earns the money for the family, not the woman. This is made quite evident when the narrator writes, “So I take phosphates or phosphites-- whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to "work" until I am well again” (Gilman 2) The social aspect is the fact that the narrator was sheltered away from any type of socializing by locking her in a room. The patriarchy believed this would make women feel better if they weren’t social. The psychological operations are shown when John manipulates her into thinking the way he wants her to think. An example