Comparing Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow...

Comparing Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper and Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour The Yellow Wallpaper;, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and The Story of an Hour;, by Kate Chopin, are alike in that both of the women in the stories were controlled by their husbands which caused them to feel an intense desire for freedom. Both stories were also written from a feminist point of view. However, the women in the stories had different life changes and different responses to their own freedom as a result of that change. In both stories the womens husbands had direct control over their lives. In The Yellow Wallpaper; the narrators husband controlled her both mentally and physically. He does not allow her to have any†¦show more content†¦She yearns to live her own life without someone being there to dictate her every thought and action. She wants to live her own life and make her own decisions without being under the constant scrutiny of her husband. Also, both The Yellow Wallpaper; and The Story of an Hour; were written from the feminist perspective. The husbands control over their wives, and the wives intense desire for freedom from the men in their lives exhibit that the subject matter in both stories reveals feminist concerns. Through the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper; the author is able to express her feminine viewpoint concerning the oppressive nature of the men in her life. This oppressive nature results in an inferiority complex being developed by the narrator. The narrator is unable to express her opinion solely because it conflicts with the male point of view. A perfect example of this is presented in the beginning passages of the story, where the narrators disagreement with her husband and brothers ideas for her treatment. She states, Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do? This last sentence But what is one to do? exemplifies wonderfully her oppressed female stature in the society of her life (Gilman 633). This oppressive nature is also expressed in The Story of anShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of An Hour And Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The Yellow Wallpaper Essay1670 Words   |  7 PagesA Women’s Role in a Patriarchal Society During the 19th Century Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper are two of the first works of feminist literature in the 19th century. They were written at a time when a woman’s lot was characterized by gender inequality, with few legal, social, or political rights. In the 19th century women were constant victims of society’s ideals, defined as physically and intellectually weaker than men. Fathers and husbands