Patriarchy, Feminism, and Gender in The Yellow Wallpaper

Muhammad Faruq Bukhori

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Patriarchy, Feminism, and Gender in The Yellow Wallpaper

By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

In the story of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte, I found a view of patriarchy, feminism, and gender. This story is packaged so unique because from the background of this story the author wrote about the social role of American women at that time. In the following, I will describe the interpretations of patriarchy, feminsime, and gender contained in this story.

1. Feminism Interpretation

As the main character of this story, Narrator has experienced a lot of criticism and control from a man namely Sumai himself. She (the narrator) was forbidden to write and to give an opinion, even went out to work she was not allowed by her husband. This can be seen in the following fragment of the story.

I even said to John one moonlight evening, but he said what I felt was a draught, and shut the window.

There comes John, and I must put this away,- he hates to have me write a word.

Yet his ideas are immediately dismissed using an unfounded assumption of words, so that he is incapable of giving insights into his own situation. The definition of the used by women during the period stems from this understanding.

2. Patriarchy Interpretation

The patriarchal concept in this story is illustrated by the figure of John the husband of the narrator himself, who is the main authority and dominates his own wife. John's domination of the Narrator sometimes makes the narrators themselves feel depressed about their marriage, at one point John forbade the narrator to meet his own cousin for the unclear reason that the narrator was unable to stand when he got there. He even forbids the narrator from writing, John is also a figure who intimidates the narrator and makes the narrator do whatever he tells him to do. This can be seen in the following fragment of the story.

“Then do let us go downstairs,” I said “there are such pretty rooms there.”

Then he took me in his arm and called me a blessed little goose, and said he would go down cellar, if I wished, and have it whitewashed into the bargain.

Implicitly, John instituted the government and privileges of men and placed women below men, this dominance includes domestic problems.

3. Gender

We already know that gender is different from sex, gender is created based on the condition of the social environment. In the story of The Yellow Wallpaper, the gender is that the narrator who is a woman is depicted as a weak figure, and John as the husband of a patriarchal man who fits the man at that time puts himself in charge of the house over his wife, property, and children. This can be seen in the following fragment of the story.

John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall.

and one part of this story shows the narrator is so weak and helpless

I don’t feel as if is was worth while to turn my hand over for anything, and I’m getting dreadfully fretful and querulous.

            I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time.