In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrative voice is an extremely influential factor in developing many themes in addition to the apparent theme of insanity. Both “The Yellow Wallpaper” and John Steinbeck 's short story "The Chrysanthemums” explore two common themes of identity and gender inequality. Both short stories are set in a time where few women could gain equality in a male-dominated society. In “The Chrysanthemums”, Steinbeck portrays this struggle for equality through the character Elisa Allen. Gilman uses herself as a medium through which she displays the inner thoughts and emotions of a woman in a patriarchal society. This allows the reader to develop a thorough understanding of the way female oppression affects the characters identity crisis. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the first aspect of the text that points towards gender inequality is the contrast in the ways the main character’s behavior changed around her husband and how she views him. John is the perfect embodiment of the stereotypical male figure of the 1800s. He believes in practicality and preeminence, and expects to be treated with respect and dignity. He dismisses his wife’s beliefs that her condition is worse than what he thinks is just a “temporary nervous depression - a slight hysteria tendency” (Gilman, 1). When the main character tries to speak to John about her depression, her repression under her husband becomes apparent when John belittles and patronizes her by called her a “blessed little goose” (Gilman, 2). Seeing as she believes that she cannot outwardly retort to her husband, she agrees with him, showcasing the lack of liberty of expressing her opinion even within her marriage, versus the multitude of control he has over her. The theme of gender inequality in this short story could have been missed altogether, had it been narrated by someone other than the main character. Having the main character as the narrator allows the reader the opportunity to identify with her situation and acknowledge her unhappiness. We see that her real feelings reflect disagreement with the approach her John is handling her postpartum depression. The further in to the story the reader gets, it becomes increasingly clear that a major portion of the main character’s insanity stems from the lack of a true identity. There is a consistent negative correlation between the character’s insanity and obedience. She initially listens to her husband’s orders of moving away from her female connections to an isolated farmhouse, where she is to be kept in a barred up room with this terrible yellow wallpaper. She accepts the diagnosis he makes of her having ‘temporary nervousness’ which could be cured by a lot of rest. She listens to him despite thinking that “John does not know how much [she] really suffers. He knows there is no reason to suffer and that satisfies him” (Gilman, 2). Through her subconscious insurgence – or insanity – towards John, and the voice of a woman gradually losing her mind, the cause behind her breakdown gain clarity. She is beginning to crack under the pressure of being forced to obey the demands of a patriarchal society that she was raised in. The irony is that the more and more insane she becomes because of her lack of true identity, the more she begins to mentally set herself free to release herself from repression.
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In their eyes, women are fragile being that must be taken care of, lest their bodies or mental faculties be compromised. Both women struggle to gain a foothold on their place in society as equals to their male counterparts. While John’s wife depicts her triumph over him by continuing to pace the perimeter of the room over his unconscious body, Elisa is forced to retreat to her place as the woman and do what is expected of her. The narrative voice in “The Yellow Wallpaper” serves to highlight the issue of gender equality in the type of situation where it is easy to only look at the insanity. Both women in the two stories served to tie and depict the two themes of gender inequality and identity crisis together to encourage the image that reflects not just the relationship between husband and wife, but also the ideals of female disadvantage and male superiority prevalent within their
In their eyes, women are fragile being that must be taken care of, lest their bodies or mental faculties be compromised. Both women struggle to gain a foothold on their place in society as equals to their male counterparts. While John’s wife depicts her triumph over him by continuing to pace the perimeter of the room over his unconscious body, Elisa is forced to retreat to her place as the woman and do what is expected of her. The narrative voice in “The Yellow Wallpaper” serves to highlight the issue of gender equality in the type of situation where it is easy to only look at the insanity. Both women in the two stories served to tie and depict the two themes of gender inequality and identity crisis together to encourage the image that reflects not just the relationship between husband and wife, but also the ideals of female disadvantage and male superiority prevalent within their