Gender Inequality In The Yellow Wallpaper And Girl

Women have been receiving the short end of the stick for years and many authors have been expressing this concern through fictional writing for centuries. The three pieces of fiction: Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl,” all convey the idea that women must act a certain way within society and the realism of the issue with gender inequality in the theme. For this specific piece, Kincaid was inspired by her own experience with her mother growing up and the unfair treatment she came into contact with in society while receiving her education. Chopin also was inspired by personal experiences when writing this piece. She lost her father at a young age and after many

This type of writing is done in the first person through the form of a letter or document in which an individual is addressing oneself. It is a personal piece of writing that showcases the events the narrator experienced both from an outside perspective and an inside perspective. The narrator feels misunderstood in this situation because, despite the concerns she expresses, multiple people continue to tell her the way she is feeling is wrong. It says, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression - a slight hysterical tendency - what is one to do?” (Gilman 448). She is voicing her concern to no one in particular besides herself. She wishes to better understand the situation that presents itself and begins to lose touch with reality after taking advice from those around her that do not seem to grasp the severity and reality of her situation. Her negative feelings continue to grow and this style of writing gives the author close insight into the events that take place and the change in the narrator’s situation. In the end, she begins to feel trapped which connects directly to this theme of inequality and the idea that women are expected to listen to those around them, despite better judgment. It’s a terrifying way to look at

Kincaid specifically focuses on the significance of food, benna, the house, and clothing when clarifying what it means to be a woman in society and the role that is meant to be played. Women are responsible for staying in their place and taking care of men to be accepted, whereas men typically do as they please. The mother of this story is constantly reminding her daughter of the duties she must prepare herself for to be a respectable woman and find her position in society. It says, “This is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a buttonhole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming” (Kincaid 942). The mother is constantly directing orders at her daughter to show her what it means to be a proper woman. She is meant to present herself in a way that other people will approve of while also learning how to take care of everyone else. This role, along with the responsibilities of cooking and cleaning to ensure the house is in order is meant to fall on the women in society only. The significance of singing benna is also mentioned in the piece. It says, “...is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?” (Kincaid 942). In between the mother telling her what is expected of her, she throws in