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Men In The 1800's Through Feminist Short Stories

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How Were Women Portrayed and Compared to Men in the 1800’s Through Feminist Short Stories? “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done ask a woman.” ~Margaret Thatcher. This quote is saying that woman can do anything. In “The Story of an Hour” and the “Yellow Wallpaper” the main characters, who are women, feel trapped because the control that men had. Also, in the 1800’s men thought of women as a personal servant and the quote above identifies that perfectly. Additionally, the women in that time frame had no choice on who they married. Even if, the woman hated the man they had no say in whether to marry them or not. In feminist writers Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Stetson short stories “The Story of an Hour” and …show more content…

(Chopin) This quote is a perfect example of a metaphor that women were under a man’s “control”. The quote is saying that the woman is excited almost that her husband is dead because she is saying that he does not have control of her anymore and she is free from his grasp. Now she can do whatever she wants to do without having to ask permission from her husband. This quote also shows that women felt controlled and trapped in their own lives. Also, from this quote it is obvious that men are treated much higher than women. When women and men should be treated as equal. In the 1800’s was difficult for women to be treated disrespectfully. It would be super difficult for the majority of women back then to keep in the anger they must have felt. In the “Yellow Wallpaper” and “Story of an Hour” portray what women felt like back in the …show more content…

The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometime only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over.” (Stenson, 645) This is a description of the hideous wallpaper is a symbol. This description is a representation of what women feel like under man’s control. The wall paper represents a cage and the so called women in it’s stuck and can’t get out of it and only man has the key to unlock it. Over all, some women in this time frame felt like they were treated as little caged “birds” almost and they could not escape the path that their husband set out for them. That was probably stay at home, cook, and cleaning. That does not seem like a fun life to live for the rest of their life while the men got to do whatever they wanted back then according to the quote. Finally, the mysterious wallpaper is a perfect representation of what women must have felt like in the 1800’s. “She said it over and over under her breath: "free, free, free!"” (Chopin) This quote states that was she was free and not under control of man and she was happy almost that her husband was dead. She felt like she was under control by her husband and now she was not. Also, she was happy and felt like she could do anything she wanted. Additionally, she probably felt that she was not trapped in a cage any more and could do whatever she wanted. Moreover, this quote states that she did not love the way

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In her short story, Chopin writes about a woman who has been oppressed by her husband for so long that she does not know what it feels like to be free. The woman loves her husband very much, but seems to rejoice upon hearing of his demise as a result of a train crash. Many would find her delight to be

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The life of Women in the late 1800s. Life for women in the 1800s began to change as they pushed for more rights and equality. Still, men were seen as better than women, this way of thinking pushed women to break out from the limitations imposed on their sex. In the early 1800s women had virtually no rights and ultimately were not seen as people but they rather seen as items of possession, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that women started to gain more rights. The Civil War actually opened opportunities for women to gain more rights, because with many of the men gone to war women were left with the responsibilities that men usually fulfilled during that time period.

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feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights based on the equality of the sexes. Since before time women have been less than and it is shown by how women get paid less and are seen as dependent to men. In the play A Doll’s House written by Henrik Ibsen Nora was keeping a secret from her husband Helmer, but because she went behind his back brought lots of scandal to their door. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Jane has a problem with the wallpaper and lets it consume her to the point that she went crazy. Both stories belittled women however they differed in coping with oppression and their freedom from oppression.

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Passage Analysis #1 Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” Gilman, in this particular passage of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” explores the theme of female oppression through imagery and symbolism of the wall-paper. These elements of literature make the wall-paper come to life for both the narrator and the audience. “The front pattern does move”(55) personifies the wall-paper to be so animate and physically restraining that the woman behind it must shake it to attempt to escape. The italicization of “does” serves to further affirm that the wallpaper exhibits restrictive human-like behaviors - particularly those of dominant men in society. The narrator states that there are “a great many woman behind”(55), extending the metaphor to all Victorian women in the United States and others around the world who are oppressed.

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Initially, the narrator is disgusted and irritated by the paper, claiming, “I never saw a worse paper in my life. One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin” (339). This reaction mirrors that of a sane person’s--fearing the unknown, they distance themselves from insanity and any iteration of it, seeing it as grotesque and shameful. Yet, as she spends more time in the room, she grows interested in the wallpaper and begins to investigate. She comes to the conclusion that: “I didn 't realize for a long time what the thing was that showed behind, that dim sub-pattern, but now I am quite sure it is a woman” (346).

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The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and the Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson were both written by women to express how they were treated in their time period. Both of these stories were criticized because they challenged the belief that a woman should not be just a docile wife. These two pieces of literature utilized symbolic imagery, repetition, and dramatic irony to convey the common theme shared that women are opressed by the standards of society. In Chopin's Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard sees the outside world through the only window in her room.

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Chopin’s novel and short story provides awareness of the lack of independence and individuality that women are granted in that era. Chopin’s voices how Louise and Enda becomes accustom to living according to what the man of the house desires. “Then would be no power will bending hers in that blind persistence” (The Story of An hour). With Louise husband being gone, he would no longer interfere with her actions or even overrule what she has to say. Louise would be completely free from his authority.

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Women in the 1800’ and early 1900’s were treated the same as slaves, second class citizens who had no voice or decision over their lives. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892 with a late American 19th century setting. The main character, a nameless woman, fights depression and anxiety along with being oppressed by her husband John and wanting to rise against the norms of

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Enclosed to the four wall of this “big” room, the narrator says “the paint and paper look as if a boy’s school had used it” because “it is stripped off” indicating that males have attempted to distort women’s truth but somehow did not accomplish distorting the entire truth (Perkins Gilman, 43). When the narrator finally looked at the wall and the paint and paper on it, she was disgusted at the sight. The yellow wallpaper, she penned, secretly against the will of men, committed artistic sin and had lame uncertain curves that suddenly committed suicide when you followed them for a little distance. The narrator is forced to express her discomfort with the image to her husband, he sees it as an “excited fancy” that is provoked by the “imaginative power and habit of story making” by “a nervous weakness” like hers (Perkins Gilman, 46). Essentially, he believes that her sickness is worsening and the depth of her disease is the cause of the unexpected paranoia.

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Chopin makes her strong statement in this quote from the story. Mrs. Mallard has no one to answer to but herself, and she feels liberated that her husband can no longer control her. During the late nineteenth century, women quite frequently had to suppress themselves to the will of their husbands, or to some other man who had a significant amount of control over their lives. Chopin successfully uses vivid imagery, point of view, and irony that gives a different view of marriage that is not typical of today.

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In the article, “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin an American writer states, “She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her” (Chopin 517). Implying that she felt the joy of grasping her freedom. This particular statement interests me the most since I know the moment of feeling free. To clarify, having permission was a huge deal for my parents, until the end of high school. Realizing how much I matured, they let me express my freedom without restrictions, resulting me to be free as Mrs. Mallard.

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She identified the yellow wallpaper as a metaphor for women’s discourse. The narrator’s underlying feelings of confusion, depression, and frustration was covered by the yellow wallpaper which she rips from the walls at the very end to reveal “what is elsewhere kept hidden and embodies patterns that the patriarchal order ignores, suppresses, fears as grotesque or fails to perceive at all” (35). The yellow wallpaper is interpreted as the conflict of gender inequality and the struggles of women in a patriarchal society. The imagery reflects on how women feel toward sexual inequality and the situation with

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The author states “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (Chopin). Mrs. Louise Mallard did not want to submit to the oppressor, who in this case, was Mr. Mallard. She expected to settle alone decisions and might not want to take orders from her life partner. She was forced to encounter that path since Mr. Mallard controlled her. When she found out that Mr. Mallard was dead, she felt free from the male abuse that she had been a setback of since the day she and her Mr. Mallard were married.

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Kate Chopin wrote a story about Mrs. Mallard, a married woman who suffers from heart problems and also has to cope with her husband recent passing. Mrs.Mallard, she showed sincere grief about her husband passing. However, looking back at how controlling her husband Mr.Mallard were in their marriage, Mrs.Mallard felt a sudden joy when processing her husband death After her sudden emotional change, Mrs Mallard felt liberated when she started thinking about what her life would be like without Mr.Mallard, but regardless of the happiness she feels, she knows that once she sees her husband in corpse that sadness will return. Through her writing, author Chopin readers/ audience would be women who feel trapped and controlled in their marriage. Anger, loneliness and heartbroken are feelings that women who're coping with the death of their loved one feel.

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The story also argues that freedom is a very powerful force that affects the mental or emotional state of a person. Chopin argues that only through death can one be finally freed. The author makes strong, yet subtle statements towards humanity and women’s rights. Through subtle symbolism, Kate Chopin demonstrates how marriage is more like a confining role of servitude rather than a

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