Gender And Illness In The Yellow Wallpaper
Submission Smells of Sulfur: Gender and Illness in The Yellow Wallpaper
During the 19th century, when Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper takes place, men reigned and women had little power over the definition of their roles, particularly middle and upper class women due to the lack of necessity for them to work outside the home. It was their only responsibilities to be modest, God-fearing, respectable women who took care of themselves and did not distract their bodies from the purpose of childbearing. They were to remain in the domestic scene and leave the public work scene to the men. Then, enslaved in their own homes, they were to smile, accept, and enjoy such a life. As one can easily imagine, this was not always the case.
During the 19th century, when Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper takes place, men reigned and women had little power over the definition of their roles, particularly middle and upper class women due to the lack of necessity for them to work outside the home. It was their only responsibilities to be modest, God-fearing, respectable women who took care of themselves and did not distract their bodies from the purpose of childbearing. They were to remain in the domestic scene and leave the public work scene to the men. Then, enslaved in their own homes, they were to smile, accept, and enjoy such a life. As one can easily imagine, this was not always the case.