Gender issues acquired exceptional actuality in the end of the nineteenth century as women were for a long period in a rather difficult situation requiring serious changes in order to march in step with the ongoing process of democratization in the western world. Along with unprecedented achievements in the area of social equality women continued suffering from indignity and discrimination. In this situation, Charlotte Gilman who faced all the difficulties connected to gender issues in her personal experience wrote her famous story “The Yellow Wallpaper”. The author presents quite a progressive outlook on the matters of gender issues for the period of time when it was written. Woman’s role was not significant in society that time; not many opportunities at work and a heavy laden position in the family were women’s lot in life. Generally, this revolutionary piece of feminist literature encourages to readdress the situation of a woman within society, and to amend a row of injustices that women had to face on a daily basis.
A short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and first published in 1892 can be acclaimed as an important piece of early feminist literature. The story features a considerable entrance on the themes related to prevailing attitudes to women, their place in society and their physical, emotional and mental health which were prevailing in the nineteenth century. There also exist more points of view on the significance of this story. The author herself explains that the story is a reflection of her own experience which she acquired as a result of her own mental health problems. It is an interesting fact from the author’s biography that Charlotte Gilman faced some mental problems, and turned to a doctor for help. He, in turn, prescribed her a treatment mainly focused on her isolation from society and limitation of any mental work which only worsened her condition severely. When Gilman realized that she was on her way to madness she quit this treatment, and managed to conquer her problem by means of her own efforts. Being motivated by her concerns for the other women who might face similar problems she wrote this story. The result of this revolutionary piece of literature is more that inspiring: the author not only managed to change the treatment conceptions of her doctor, but she initiated a new dialogue in the area of feminism and emancipation.
Speaking about the title of this story and its meaning, a row of interesting conclusions can be made. At a stage when the heroine of this story is about to become insane on the reason of her social isolation and being limited within one room with yellow wallpapers, she makes the following comment:
It is the strangest yellow, that wall-paper! It makes me think of all the yellow
things I ever saw—not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow
things. But there is something else about that paper—the smell! … The only thing
I can think of that it is like, is the color of the paper! (Gilman par. 67).
The author uses this symbol of yellow wallpapers which eventually make the main heroine insane to symbolize a place of a woman in society. The heroine wants to break free from the limits of her room with these wallpapers, but it seems to be impossible. As a result not only the heroine, but the other people suffer including her husband who appears as the main source of her limitation even being motivated by his concerns of care for his wife, her child and many more people who are not even mentioned in this story. The domestic sphere of a room with yellow wallpapers is presented by the author as a prison where the main heroine is slowly becoming insane. This address to the domestic spheres in such a context is an important message which Gilman conveys through the story. The author seems to initiate a new era for women helping them to find their place in the other important areas of society including business, science and education. Nowadays, reflecting on considerable achievements which became possible as a result of allowing women to participate in the above mentioned spheres, it becomes evident that naturally women are also presented with a variety of valuable qualities and traits which can be successfully applied for the benefit of society.
In conclusion, the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman presents an important address to gender matters which acquired their special actuality in the end of the nineteenth century. This story initiated a new argument in the area of discrimination of women in society and the oppression of women in their families. Many years passed since Gilman wrote this milestone piece on gender issues, and as a result of her humble, but significant contribution society changed considerably: women acquired a lot of opportunities, and greatly improved their social position. However, the matter is still in the process of being solved, and such outstanding personalities as Charlotte Gilman along with their timely works are of great importance for solving gender issue which continues for centuries.
Works Cited
Gilman, Charlotte 1899, The Yellow Wallpaper. Web.