Charlotte Perkins Gilman Essay, Research Paper
Good 1
Charlotte Perkins Gilman experienced astonishing success during her life. When she died in 1935, she left behind a legacy of ingenious writing. ?Charlotte Perkins Gilman was one of the leading intellectuals of the American women?s movement in the first two decades of the 20th century? (Gilman, The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman). Her literary works explore the minds of remarkable and courageous women. Charlotte Perkins Gilman left an impression on society not only through her brilliant writings and social reforms, but also in her own perseverance in overcoming personal hardships.
Charlotte was born into the prominent Beecher family (Gilman 3). In fact, the illustrious Harriet Beecher Stowe was a great-aunt (3). Charlotte grew up with pride in her family. She recalls ?When about fifteen years old I was told of our extremely remote connection with English royalty and I wrote eagerly to my learned father to inquire as to the facts- was I related to Queen Victoria?? (1). However, her father solemnly replied, ?It is quite true that you are related to Queen Victoria, but there are a great many persons between you and the throne and I should not advise you to look forward to it? (1).
Despite her legendary family ties, Charlotte?s childhood was filled with pain, uncertainty, and rejection. Her father abandoned his family shortly after her birth (Lane 3). While a young woman, she suffered through a bad marriage that caused her to endure a nervous breakdown (3). It was during this time that Charlotte encountered her first bout with depression; there were many battles to follow (3). Thus, within the formative years of her young life, Charlotte suffered immeasurable pain and agony at the hands of males. This may possible be a motive behind her works based around strong female characters.
Throughout her early life, it was apparent that Charlotte was an extremely strong-willed girl. ?At the age of sixteen or seventeen she perceived herself as having ?no character to be especially proud of: impressionable, vacillating, sensitive, uncontrolled, often loafing and lazy? (Lane 57). However, she was determined to change herself into a disciplined, controlled person. Charlotte, an extremely intelligent child, was not able to consistently attend school until the age of thirteen. Living in poverty for most of her life, Charlotte was only able to attend school after the death of a great-aunt who left her an inheritance. Although her teachers were impressed with her aptitude, they soon became frustrated with her resistance to routines that restricted her imagination (59). Charlotte longed to be different. She was driven to defy conditional notions of what young girls ?should be.? Dr. Studley, a teacher who instructed Charlotte in hygiene, became particularly influential (59). Charlotte instantly converted to ?a regime of cold baths, exercise, fresh air, and dress reform (59). She became caught up in the physical culture movement of the late nineteenth century. ?In a culture that valued frailty in women, Charlotte took delight and pleasure in her robust health and her strong body? (59).
Much of Charlotte?s late adolescence was spent nursing her ill mother. She describes her mother as being the ?disciplinarian? and this caused problems between the two of them (Gilman 12). Charlotte complained that her mother was so ?rigorous in refusing all manner of invitations for me? I was denied so often (Lane 60-61). Her mother?s denials protected her from entering the adult world of men, relationships, and love. Charlotte soon, however, entered this world when she was married to Charles Walter Stetson (Gilman 82). In her autobiography, she discusses her mixed emotions regarding Mr. Stetson and marriage. She says, ?my mind was not fully clear as to whether I should marry. On the one hand I knew it was normal and right in general, and held that a woman should be able to have marriage and motherhood and do her work in the world? (83). However, there were more cynical times when Charlotte expresses ?I felt strongly that for me it was not right, that the nature of the life before me forbade it, that I ought to forego the more intimate personal happiness for complete devotion to my work? (83). Despite her doubts, the two were married in May of 1884.
The new Mrs. Stetson expressed that the two were happy together (87). At one point she stated ?there was nothing to prevent it but that increasing depression of mine? (87). That ?increasing depression? was the early stages of a nervous breakdown looming on the horizon of Charlotte?s future. She became weak, tired, and constantly depressed. Even after the birth of a baby girl, Charlotte was unable to pull out of the misery that controlled her life. In desperation, Charlotte and her husband agreed to get a divorce. Charlotte left, and began to recover (97). Looking back, she realizes ?if this decision could have been reached sooner it would have been much better for me, the lasting mental injury would have been less? (97). Charlotte endured more scrutiny and criticism when she gave her child to her husband to be raised by him and his new wife, also Charlotte?s best friend (Lane 134). The media publicized her life even more when she was wed to her first cousin, seven years younger than she (Gilman 281).
Despite her personal hardships, Gilman established herself as a prominent social critic and feminist writer from the 1890?s to 1930?s. Many of her literary works resemble struggles encountered in her own life. Charlotte focused on strong-willed, courageous women who were capable of being self-sufficient. In Herland, Gilman creates a utopian society made up of entirely women. She uses this setting to create a culture and political system. It is important to note that the changes taking place in this society are not because of the absence of men, but because of the presence of women. After observing the community created by these women, the narrator, Vandyck Jennings, is convinced to view these women ?not as females, but as people? (Herland). Herland is said to be Gilman?s ?radical, alternative vision of collective motherhood? (Lane 293). The women living in this utopia have no knowledge of sexuality, similar to Charlotte herself during her early years, while under the protection of her mother. Gilman believed education to be extremely important and she communicated this value in Herland. The children are a main focus in this society. Every action is considered so that its effect will be desirable in the lives of the children. Charlotte Perkins Gilman used this same belief in education to help spark a movement for female education. She believed that with education and training women could be a valuable addition to the workforce and even to the global community (De Simmone, internet).
Gilman?s famous work, The Yellow Wallpaper also resembles struggles that she encountered in her personal life. In the short story, the narrator is suffering from depression and is confined to a small room for resting purposes (Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper, 29). In contrast, the narrator?s husband is free to leave the house and participate in normal activities. The woman is essentially trapped in her environment. Desperate to find an escape from her terrible reality, the woman finds pleasure in writing (33). She writes about her surroundings, especially the yellow wallpaper that she finds horrid, yet intriguing. She writes about her mundane routine and her conflicts with her controlling husband, John. Writing is one of her only sources of joy, yet she is forced to hide it because of John and Jennie. The wallpaper is symbolic of the boundaries that women are expected to abide by. However, the woman was obsessed with getting beyond the wallpaper. She wanted to ?free? the woman trapped inside of the yellow pattern. Eventually, just like Charlotte herself, the woman succeeded. She found victory over all of those who tried to restrict her. It was in that victory that the character and Charlotte found happiness and relief from depression.
Through her remarkable writings, as well as her struggles in her personal life, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was truly a woman of great significance. She established herself as one of the leading intellectuals of the American women?s movement and a brilliant author to be studied for decades to come. Gilman?s works provide an intimate portrait of not only herself, but of all women who wish to be seen as self-sufficient, strong, intelligent citizens who are capable of leaving an impression on their society and the lives of those around them.
De Simmone, Deborah M. Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Feminization of Education.
20 January 1999. Online. Internet. Available:
www.scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/WILLA/v4/DeSimone.html.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: An Autobiography.
New York: University of Wisconsin Press, 1935.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. ?The Yellow Wallpaper.? The Yellow Wallpaper: A Critical
Edition and Documentary Casebook. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University
Press, 1998.
Lane, Ann J. To Herland and Beyond: The Life & Works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
New York: Pantheon Books, 1990.
Другие работы по теме:
The Yellow Wallpaper A Study Of Insanity
Essay, Research Paper For the women in the twentieth century today, who have more freedom than before and have not experienced the depressive life that Gilman lived from1860 to 1935, it is difficult to understand Gilman’s situation and understand the significance of “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Gilman’s original purpose of writing the story was to have gained personal satisfaction if Dr.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper Critical
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper Critical Response to Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” Using Biographical and Historical Criticism Charlotte Gilman was a renowned feminist author who published most of her work in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Her works, of which “The Yellow Wallpaper” is most famous, reflect her feminist views.
The Yellow WallpaperJourney Into Insanity Essay Research
Paper The Yellow Wallpaper – Journey Into Insanity In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, thedominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wifepushes her from depression into insanity. Flawed human nature seems to play a great rolein her breakdown.
Who Is Jane In
“The Yellow Wallpaper” Essay, Research Paper Who is Jane? There are many opposing opinions on the identity of Jane in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator of the story is never referred to by name throughout the entire work, however a questionable statement made by the narrator at the end of the story leads many to believe her name is Jane.
Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper In the
Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; a central conflict centers between the narrator and her husband, John. The husband uses his power as a doctor to control her; he forces her to behave how he thinks a sick woman should. The husband can be seen as a father figure who overprotects her and makes decisions for her.
Critical Response To The Yellow WallPaper Essay
, Research Paper Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The Yellow Wall-paper is set in the late 1800s in a colonial mansion (1657). The mansion sits back from the road, surrounded by hedges and walls and gates that lock (1658). It is also bordered by separate houses made for gardeners and other servants, a garden brimming with grapes, and greenhouses, which have been long forgotten (1658).
Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper Journey into
Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper Journey into Insanity ?The Yellow Wallpaper? by Charlotte Gilman In ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/ submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanity. It is about the growing madness of a young married woman arising out of the pressures of her life.
Charlotte Bronte Essay Research Paper EnglishCharlotte Bronte
Charlotte Bronte Essay, Research Paper English Charlotte Bronte was born in Thornton in the West Riding of Yorkshire on April 21,1816, the third child of Patrick Bronte and Maria Branwell Bronte. The major event of her young life was the death of her mother in 1821, which created a lot of chaos.
The Yellow Wallpaper 4 Essay Research Paper
Women in literature are often portrayed in a position that is dominated by men, especially in the nineteenth century, women were repressed and controlled by their husbands as well as other male influences. In “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator is oppressed and represents the major theme of the effect of oppression of women in society.
The Independence Of Women The Yellow Wallpaper
Essay, Research Paper The Independence of Women “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story of a woman, her psychological difficulties, and her husband’s so called therapeutic treatment of her ailments during the late 1800s. The story begins with a young woman and her husband traveling to the country for the summer to help heal the young woman’s psychological condition.
Love Has Nothing To Do With It
Essay, Research Paper What?s Love Got to Do With It In Pride and Predjuice life is not all fun and games. There are many pressures in life: mothers with high expectations for a good marriage and a girl?s own expectation of
Pride And Prejudice What
’s Love Got To Do With It Essay, Research Paper Pride and Prejudice: What’s Love Got to Do With It In Pride and Prejudice life is not all fun and games. There are many
A Roses For Emily Essay Research Paper
william faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily’, and Charlotte Gilman’s “A Yellow Wall paper” are alike in many ways. The two women are in similar situations, both are violated by
Yellow Wallpaper And Darling Essay Research Paper
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman?s, ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, and Anton Chekhov?s, ?The Darling?, we are introduced to main characters with lives surrounded by control. In Gilman?s, ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, the main
The Struggle For Independence In Charlotte Perkins
Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. Essay, Research Paper “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the story of women’s struggle for independence in a patriarchal society. In the story the wallpaper is an important symbol as is the woman behind it. The narrator’s thoughts about the wallpaper tell us a great deal of how she feels about the situation she is in.
Gilman
’s The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper “Gaining Freedom” “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman is a sad story of the repression that women face in the days of late 1800’s as well as being representative of the turmoil s that women face today. Gilman writes “The Yellow Wallpaper” from her own personal experiences of having to face the overwhelming fact that this is a male dominated society and how women suffer because of it.
Edgar Allan Poe Vs Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Essay, Research Paper Edgar Allan Poe and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were both successful in making the objects of their stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” form their own identities, and even points of reason, through their use of syntax, point of view, and personification.
The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Essay, Research Paper Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” explores the restricted societal roles of both Jane and John. Gilman, a strong supporter of women’s rights, focuses on her account with depression through this story (Hill 150). Traditionally, the man must take care of the woman both financially and emotionally while the woman’s role remains at home.
The Yellow Wallpaper 6 Essay Research Paper
The Yellow Wallpaper In The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator becomes more depressed throughout the story due to the recommendation of isolation that was prescribed to her. In this short story, the narrator is detained in a lonesome, drab, room in attempt to be freed of a nervous disorder.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper The 2
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper The Yellow Wallpaper – Journey into Insanity In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/submissive relationship between an
Why Going To College Essay Research Paper
The Yellow Wall Paper The ?Yellow Wall Paper ? by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a chilling study and experiment of mental disorder in nineteenth century. This is a story of a miserable wife, a young woman in anguish, stress surrounding her in the walls of her bedroom and under the control of her husband doctor, who had given her the treatment of isolation and rest.
The Yellow WallPaper Essay Research Paper In
The Yellow Wall-Paper Essay, Research Paper In ? The Yellow Wall-Paper?, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the main character was described as a little insane woman. In the beginning of the story, although she was suffering from a continuous nervous breakdown, her mental condition was not so serious and deep.
Life Influences In The Writing Of The
Yellow Wallp Essay, Research Paper “Life Influences in the Writing of The Yellow Wallpaper”One of the most influential feminist writers of the late nineteenth century is Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Her writings deal primarily with ideas concerning the suppression of women by men and opposition to the conventional views on marriage and a woman’s life in the home.
The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle Essay
, Research Paper The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle In 1832, Charlotte Doyle began her voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the ship “The Seahawk”. The captian of the ship was Captian Jaggery. At first Charlotte did not understand why the sailors did not like him, but during her voyage she learned why.
Oppression And Madness Essay Research Paper Oppression
Oppression And Madness Essay, Research Paper Oppression And Madness The Yellow Wallpaper, written in 1892 by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a chilling story of one woman s descent into madness. It is also a disturbing but brilliant analysis of the extreme efforts of society, at this time, and in some ways today as well, to oppress women in order to reflect the common role of women as a subordinate to men, especially their husbands.
The Yellow Wallpaper
” By Charlotte Perkins Gilman Essay, Research Paper The Yellow Wallpaper – Journey into Insanity In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanity.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanS The Yellow Wallpaper Essay
, Research Paper ?The Yellow Wallpaper?: Symbols of a Woman?s Submissions In Charlotte Perkins Gilman?s ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, we see a shivering study of derangement. It is a grievous story narrated by a young woman driven to insanity by a husband that imposes a rest/cure for her sickness, although he believes that it is only ?temporary nervous depression…? (118).
Use Of Symbolism In Charlotte Perkins Gilman
’s The Yellow Wall-Paper Essay, Research Paper In “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” the dominant – submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression to insanity. Flawed human nature seems to play a great role in her breakdown. Her husband, a noted physician, is unwilling to admit that there might really be something wrong with his wife.
Yelow WallPaper Essay Research Paper The Yellow
Yelow Wall-Paper Essay, Research Paper The Yellow Wall-Paper The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story about a woman and her psychological difficulties, in which her husband tries to help her. The story, although very captivating, is very confusing. It s easy to follow but hard to get a meaning or reasoning about what is going on.
The Yellow Wall Paper Essay Research Paper
“The Yellow Wallpaper”, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story of a woman, her psychological difficulties and her husband’s so called therapeutic treatment of her aliments during the late 1800s. The story begins with a young woman and her husband traveling to the country for the summer and for the healing powers of being away from writing which just seems to worsen her condition.
The Yellow WallPaper Essay Research Paper The
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper ?The Yellow Wallpaper? A major theme in ?The Yellow Wallpaper? by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is that solitary confinement and exclusion from the public results in insanity. The use of imagery and setting helps illustrate this theme throughout the story. The unnamed protagonist in this story suffers from a nervous disorder which is enhanced by her feeling of being trapped within a room.
Yellow Wall Paper Essay Research Paper Yellow
Yellow Wall Paper Essay, Research Paper Yellow Wall Paper Reflecting their role in society, women in literature are often portrayed in a position that is dominated by men. Especially in the nineteenth century, women were repressed and controlled by their husbands as well as other male influences. “The Yellow Wallpaper”, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story of a woman, her psychological difficulties and her husband’s so called therapeutic treatment of her aliments during the late 1800s.