Literacy Devices Used To Show The Roles Of Women In The Yellow Wallpaper

Literacy Devices Used to Show the Roles of Women in “The Yellow Wallpaper” In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the author uses numerous literary devices to show women's roles during the 19th century. Throughout this period, women were not granted the same privileges as men. They could not vote or participate in politics. They were forced to dress modestly and obey the man of the house. Women were commonly the caretakers of the family since they were not privileged enough to receive an education. Throughout Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” she employs literary devices such as symbolism, imagery, and tone in order to display the role of women during the 19th century. To begin, the yellow wallpaper symbolizes the social norms for women in society at the time. Women were restricted from participating in many things that a man could do such as going to school, getting a job, or even being involved in politics. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the woman who is mentally ill feels uncomfortable in her room due to the wallpaper. She dislikes it and explains it by saying: “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering

Toward the beginning of the story, the calm tone represents how women are expected to act. They are viewed as delicate and fragile. Anger or aggravation needs to stay hidden because it was considered unladylike during the 19th century. Later on in the story, the frustration felt by the narrator begins to build up. For example, the narrator states: “But I must say what I feel and think in some way-it was such a relief,” (651). In this quote, she is referring to her hobby of writing in a journal. Her husband is not fond of this, but she continues to do it. The frustration in the tone shows the struggle of women not being able to live freely. They could not express their opinions or show emotions that would make them appear unladylike to