Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ has been cited as a feminist piece of writing that stands against an oppressive and exclusionary force by many scholars in the past few decades. The narrator of the story is a woman who is put on a rest cure, a treatment Gilman opposed strongly, and the readers observe as her mental wellbeing deteriorates and she becomes driven to insanity. Essentially, the piece explores the isolation of the women as the exclusionary and oppressive act that is imposed on them.
Her plight can be summarized with the quote “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency – what is one to do?” (Gilman, 648). The narrator’s isolation is imposed forcefully, though she would not be able to oppose it anyway, and much of the distrust for the situation is illustrated with the symbolism of yellow wallpaper.
Despite ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ being regarded as a feminist allegory while Gilman has gained a status of a feminist ahead of her time, there were other aspects in which she was much less progressive. Both in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ and other works such as ‘Herland’, elements of classicism and racism are prevalent. Her utopian work, ‘Herland’, is dominated by whiteness, with a complete lack of diversity in terms of race and class (Beard, 2019).
Unlike modern intersectional feminism, Gilman’s work is only reflective of her own economic, gender, and racial bracket. Strangely enough, as a writer opposing an exclusionary process such as rest cure or other oppressive methodology, Gilman in turn excludes and opposes diversity. This poses a dilemma when it comes to understanding diversity, exclusion, and inclusion in their entirety. They are all complex notions that can exist in combinations and without one another, as seen in situations such as Gilman’s work which are both inclusive for one oppressed group but exclusionary for another.
The complexity of limiting or eradicating the state of racism, sexism, and other exclusionary behavior usually sparks debates in which the definitions and terminology vary across different ideologies and individuals. Such a case occurred in Hollis-Brookline schools in New Hampshire after a resolution was submitted to “make anti-racism and equity a strategic priority” (Gibson, 2021). While some thought it was a positive and adequate response to cases of racism within the community, others thought racism to be completely absent or thought that the resolution would require the implementation of Critical Race Theory within the school programs.
The opposition to the rule disagreed with certain notions of CRT, such as defining oppressors and the oppressed by skin color alone. Essentially, they found generalizations of such theories to be more harmful than productive, but many also generalized CRT by claiming it to be an entirely Marxist ideology. It is possible that the clashing and giant divide in definition stems from what these two groups see as diversity, exclusion, and inclusion. However, it cannot be ignored that those who have faced less oppression lack the experience to understand the inherent need for diversity.
Both in casual and professional settings, the ability to communicate despite gaps in knowledge or lack in experience with certain cultures or individuals is essential to bridging the divides of exclusion even if the standards of diversity have not yet been met. This requires a level of self-awareness and respect for all parties involved (Mwangi, 2017). The ability to appreciate and navigate the differences is essential to diversity, and the first step to implementing a growing inclusionary environment.
Works Cited
Beard, Shelby. Fractured Feminism: Racism, Classism, and Sexism in Herland. 2019. University of North Carolina, Bachelor’s thesis.
“Cultural Diversity: The Sum of Our Parts | Hilda Mwangi | TEDxUCSD.” YouTube, uploaded by TEDx Talks. 2017. Web.
Gibson, Sarah. “How The Critical Race Theory Debate Came To Hollis And Brookline.” NHPR, 2021. Web.
Gilman, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper. Pantheon Books, 1980.