A Womens Struggle for Control in The Yellow Wallpaper by...

The story The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story about control. In the late 1800s, women were looked upon as having no effect on society other than bearing children and keeping house. It was difficult for women to express themselves in a world dominated by males. The men held the jobs, the men held the knowledge, the men held the key to the lock known as society . . . or so they thought. The narrator in The Wallpaper is under this kind of control from her husband, John. Although most readers believe this story is about a woman who goes insane, it is actually about a woman’s quest for control of her life. The narrator is being completely controlled by her husband. The narrators husband has told the her over†¦show more content†¦John attempts to control even her inner life, her writing. She says that he hates to have me write a word (482). He says the writing is not good for people who are sick. He tells her that it will slow down her healing. Writing is the only thing that’s keeping her sane, but she is unable to do it freely. She has to hide her words so John does not find them. This shows that John has mental control as well as physical control. As the story progresses, the narrator thinks that maybe she could gain some control over things. She begins to gain mental strength from the wallpaper. Her mind begins to churn and she commits the ultimate crime in John’s eyes . . . she thinks. She thinks that maybe John is not entirely correct about everything. However, she knows that she cannot have John know about it. She has to do it in her mind for now. She begins by analyzing the wallpaper. John has told her that she should not let such things bother her. She focuses on it for that simple fact. She feels she knows something that John does not. This is clear when she says, there are things in that paper that nobody knows but me (488). The narrator is certain that she now has some knowledge that her all-knowing husband does not. Eugenia C. Delamotte says that the husband uses his exclusively masculine knowledge as a source of power over his wife (206). She is now beginning to realize that she has a mind of her own and is a ble to use it.Show MoreRelatedThe Yellow Wallpaper, By Harriet Beecher Stowe1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe Yellow Wallpaper is a feminist piece of literature that analyzed women’s struggle in the 1900s, such as medical diagnosis and women’s roles. Over the years, women struggled to attain independence and freedom. In order to achieve these liberties, they were females who paved the way and spoke out about these issues to secure equal rights for women. In addition, these powerful females used their vulnerability to challenge the male domination through their literary work. 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