The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman's is a story on the males view of women in a patriarchal society, as if the male is ahead of the family. The story itself presents a unique look at one woman's struggle to cope with both physical and mental confinement. It is the story that reflects women's roles in society where they are dominated by men. The story was written in a time where women were supposed to obey their husbands orders. It represents the effect of the oppression of women in society. This effect is created by the use of complex symbols such as the house, the window, and the wallpaper which eased her oppression as well as her self expression.
To start with, we can analyze “The Yellow Wallpaper” by examining the aspect
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Gilman shows us two sides of women during this time period in which “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written in. The first side we see, Gilman shows the conformist side of that women seemed to take. The conformist female goes along with the belief that woman are subservient to men, this is shown in the story when the Narrator says “I mean’t to be such a help to John, such a real and comfort rest, and here I am a comparative burden already!” (649) The Narrator thinks she is a burden to her husband since she doesn't like the wallpaper and keeps complaining about it, even after he says he will not change it. She criticizes herself because she is not able to cope with the room her husband is making her live in. Gilman shows the other side of women through her means of dialogue. The Narrator overcomes her conformist ways towards the end of the story when she says “I’ve got out at last, said I, “in spite of you and Jane. I’ve pulled off most of the papers, so you can put me back.” (656) . This is shown that the Narrator feels cornered with her family and that she finally managed to speak up and act on behalf of herself. The Narrator turns out to become the strong female hero of the story after she speaks up for herself. Gilman is showing us both sides of women during her time period through means of