In the past, female oppression was a major problem. Females were told to live in the shadows of their husbands and have no autonomy. Females were considered an object and treated differently to their male partners. “The Yellow Wallpaper” demonstrates how Charlotte Perkins Gilman used symbolisms, foreshadowings, and irony in her efforts to depict female oppression in late 1800s and early 1900s.
Feminism exists today, but the world has changed. We live in a world where females are able to work and speak the same as men. However, this is not always true. Many stories are told about how females lived in accordance with their husband’s commands and rules. Females were not allowed to vote or make house-hold decisions. Men think that women should stay home. Their bodies are built with broad hips and the ability to bear, raise, and maintain a house. It was not known that the behavior rules of males were making females miserable and causing them to suffer from depression. Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” as a story to encourage women to have their own minds. To Begin With Gillman uses symbolism as a way to convey how the female in the story is. She was namedless, which means she didn’t have a identity and wasn’t worthy of naming. Her husband saw her character as a child and she needed to be watched over so that someone could take care of her. John the Husband places her in a room. He notices that the window is barred to children, and that there are rings in the walls. Researchers have found that the nursery room was built with barred windows and rings on the walls to keep mental patients in check. But, critics contend that these were actually common safety precautions for Victorian nurseries. Research shows that Character eventually becomes a bit insane after her husband John oppressed her.
John, a husband and great physiologist who tries to help his wife, foreshadows the events later in the story. The character states that yellow is a repellant and almost revolting color. It’s a dark, unclean, unclean shade of yellow that fades slowly in the sunlight. The article states that yellow can cause babies to cry more if it’s used excessively. The husband would not put his wife into a room where she is likely to get sicker than it is to make her feel better and happier. Yellow is used to indicate insanity. It is a sign that a bright, colorful color can cause more pain than someone who has no choice but to stare at the wall and play games with their minds.
Last but not less, we see how “The Yellow Wallpaper” uses irony throughout. We see how the main character starts out as a social individual with friends and cares for her child. We see later that the character is becoming more sick than she was before. We find out what the name of the main character is as she reaches madness. Research revealed that there was a dramatic shift in the way the story is told and who is speaking. Not only is the “impertinent”, but the final voice, which represents the narrator (P. Treichler), is also present. “
The story ends when we discover that the woman with the yellow wallpaper was Jane. She had escaped and was unwilling to return in. Jane is now known as Jane and refuses any return to the person she was. She wants to remain insane.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses symbolism and foreshadowing to convey her message about female oppression during the early 1900s. Her stories show how far females can come from the harsh stereotype that women were only capable of caring for their children and taking care of the house. Today’s women are more independent than ever. They can work, earn money, and vote. This is something that was impossible in 1900. It is vital to recognize how far the world has advanced for women, and how much it is possible to consider them equal with men over the past 2000+ years.
