The Psychological challanges of Oppressed women in The Yellow Essay

The Psychological challanges of Oppressed women in The Yellow Wallpaper - Essay Example of Gilman’s writings that reflect her society’s views of mental illness and diagnostic conventions and attitude towards women’s postpartum psychosis. The setting of Charlotte’s story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† enormously reflects the time period in which the story takes place. Indeed the setting of the story reflects the American society in the late 19th when the people were less endowed with scientific knowledge and the position of women in the society was restricted within the four walls of their parents and husbands’ house. Women were also thought of to be devoid of any intellectual capability. Therefore they were restricted from any psychophysical works except the indoor activities of raising children and serve their husbands. Evidences of Gender Discrimination in Gilman’s Story The distorted figure in the yellow wallpaper symbolizes the forced inactivity of women and also the society’s view of women’s physical fragi lity. In the 19th century American and European societies it is thought that women are the passive pacifier of men’s sexual desire and therefore they should not do any type of work more than what the circumstance requires them. The male dominated society thinks that men are born to work outside and women are for house and hearth. But according to the vindication of Gilman’s story, what men think of the betterment of women is their mere observation from a remote point of view. Men never can assimilate themselves with the selves of women and therefore they cannot feel what is felt by women (Bak 41-2). But as the protagonist herself is confined and restricted, she can feel the agony of the imaginary crippled woman who is bandit in the yellow wallpaper. She is confined within the sanitarium that symbolizes the whole male dominated... The author of the essay: "The Psychological challanges of Oppressed women in "The Yellow Wallpaper" analyzes the society’s attitude towards women’s psychological illness in the 19th century and its influence on Gilman’s writing. Gilman’s story speaks more of the patriarchy’s attitudes towards women’s mental illness, in the 19th century, which was considered to be the result of extensive brainwork. The author of the essay mentions that in the story, the author attempts to vindicate that nuptial institution as well as the related restrictions imposed upon a woman in marriage is detrimental to the harmonious psychological growth of women. That is, women’s struggle for their own selves must challenge the so-called male-imposed norms, rules and regulations in the name of women’s betterment. In the end the author of this paper sums up that according to Gilman, women’s situation from a male point of view is ironical in the sense that the male counterpart of the society thinks that what they prescribe for women is for their welfare, while the male dominated society’s restriction in the name of women’s wellbeing is detrimental to the women’s psychology. Throughout the whole story John examines the protagonist’s condition from a detached observer’s point of view. Consequently he cannot look into the protagonist’s agony. But John can be viewed as the production of his male society. In John’s society, women viewed only from a male point of view and this male viewpoint is excessively obsessed with the sexuality of the female body.