Michelle Romero
Eng 48b
Dr. Scott Lankford
"There comes John's sister. Such a dear girl as she is, and so careful of me! I must not let her find me writing." pg. 836
This always amazes me, how true yet how disturbing, that a race can contribute to its own oppression.
In this case, the other woman in the story, John's sister, also treats the main character as though something were terribly wrong with her and that she should not write because the work will make her sick. Not only does the main character then have to be sneaky behind John's back if she is going to do something that pleases her, but also she must hide it from her female companion. Who can she trust? I think, as was revealed in "The Blue Hotel" too (when the Swede says he is going to die and keeps nudging the Easterner to show his agreement and he doesn't), that when a race is being oppressed, each begins to think in terms of "I" and in terms of survival. If John's sister were to agree with our sickly friend, would she then also be labeled "nervous" and be sent to bed rest?
In addition, the main character reveals that John's sister is so dear, and always "careful" of her. Already, the main character shows symptoms of "made-to-feel" emotions. The people around her have made her feel she is fragile and her dialogue reveals her acceptance of this. What if she is really strong? After all, she has stomached that wallpaper for this long right? She has resisted the persistent voices which tell her the house is lovely, not creepy and not to write....up until now anyway.
However, the effects of her environment are wearing. She later says she is becoming afraid of John and states, "He seems very queer sometimes, and even Jennie (her care-taker) has an inexplicable look." Although the oppression of women is being discussed, both men and women in this story have been affected by the environment around which tells them what to say, think, and feel. Both men and women contributed to the imprisonment of this woman.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Journal 18: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Michelle Romero
Eng 48b
Dr. Scott Lankford
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
"One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin. It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curved for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide--plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions."
This quote is a description of the pattern of the wallpaper.
I think it is important to notice that the author uses the word "pattern" often throughout the story. We say, "The fabric of society." I think Gilman is describing the pattern in the fabric of American society when she describes the wallpaper. Also, because it is a pattern, it repeats itself, like history is said to repeat itself.
In this case, Gilman is suggesting that American society commits suicide through its contradictions. I like to compare this idea with one from Stephen Crane's "The Blue Hotel" when he ends with his characters realizing how each played a role in the death (or persecution) of the Swede. In Crane's story, the Swede was the marginalized, lesser person who was inevitably put to death by those around him. Gilman takes it one step further by saying that society commits suicide. She does not say that society is successful at destroying the people it sets out to destroy (though other passages suggest this), she instead illustrates a loss for society as a whole. For this to be possible, women would have to play an important role in society. This is what she is implying in this quote. The oppression of women is not only damaging to women, but is damaging to the greater good of the whole society, for they will too lose what she could have contributed and those consequences can not always be measured.
Later she reveals the “sub-pattern” behind the wallpaper, the figure of a woman which can only be seen in certain lights and even then, not very distinctly. This again contributes to the idea that the wallpaper would represent the mainstream society. Women are behind this dominant image, (even trapped behind) somewhere in the “sub-pattern” where they are only sometimes seen. Again, it all contributes to the feelings of women at the time and their role in relation to society.
Eng 48b
Dr. Scott Lankford
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
"One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin. It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curved for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide--plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions."
This quote is a description of the pattern of the wallpaper.
I think it is important to notice that the author uses the word "pattern" often throughout the story. We say, "The fabric of society." I think Gilman is describing the pattern in the fabric of American society when she describes the wallpaper. Also, because it is a pattern, it repeats itself, like history is said to repeat itself.
In this case, Gilman is suggesting that American society commits suicide through its contradictions. I like to compare this idea with one from Stephen Crane's "The Blue Hotel" when he ends with his characters realizing how each played a role in the death (or persecution) of the Swede. In Crane's story, the Swede was the marginalized, lesser person who was inevitably put to death by those around him. Gilman takes it one step further by saying that society commits suicide. She does not say that society is successful at destroying the people it sets out to destroy (though other passages suggest this), she instead illustrates a loss for society as a whole. For this to be possible, women would have to play an important role in society. This is what she is implying in this quote. The oppression of women is not only damaging to women, but is damaging to the greater good of the whole society, for they will too lose what she could have contributed and those consequences can not always be measured.
Later she reveals the “sub-pattern” behind the wallpaper, the figure of a woman which can only be seen in certain lights and even then, not very distinctly. This again contributes to the idea that the wallpaper would represent the mainstream society. Women are behind this dominant image, (even trapped behind) somewhere in the “sub-pattern” where they are only sometimes seen. Again, it all contributes to the feelings of women at the time and their role in relation to society.
Journal 17: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Michelle Romero
Eng 48b
Dr. Scott Lankford
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper."
"At first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies." pg. 835
In the story, this quote was meant to describe the woman's will for the wallpaper to come down, and her husband’s refusal to give her this. Socially and psychological, the principle of the matter is what lies beneath.
Who cares about the wallpaper? It is just wallpaper! ...Right? Wrong! The significance of the wallpaper is what it symbolizes. In this case, it symbolizes something which is all around the woman, yet something she cannot control. The wallpaper was chosen for her. To have something so close day in and day out, and yet be so far from having any affect as to what color it is, is ridiculous. It would be like teacher or school not being able to choose the curriculum, but have it instead be chosen by a third party having nothing to do with education. It would be like men deciding what is best for women....oh, that is exactly what it is. An unaffected third party can not know what it is to be someone or something they are not.
In this case, WHY can't she repaper the wall? After all, SHE is the one living in the room day in and day out for 3 months. If the room had Nazi symbols plastered all over the wall and a Jew was forced to reside in the room for any amount of time, I am sure he or she would go just as crazy as the woman in this story did.
The wallpaper represents the limitations or oppression of women. The text says, "At first he meant to repaper the room, but..." At first, he (John & on a larger scale, the dominant male society) meant to allow her to have her way. AT FIRST! BUT, then he thought about it twice! If she had her way once, she would want to have her way again. For whatever reason, this came as a threat to John so he decided finally that he would not repaper the room for her. He would not give her an ounce of choice or freedom in the unfortunate and probable event that she may have a taste of the freedom and want more. Besides, he only “meant” to let her have her way initially, he never decided. Good intentions are meaningless. That is oppression.
The second part of the quote reaffirms that the woman must be crazy. Of course, it is classic for the United States to blame the person/people they are oppressing as some sort of justification for self-elevation of the dominant male/white/rich society. The same happened to the blacks. They could not be free because they were "dangerous" and could not be trusted. In this case, the woman's judgment could also not be trusted, for she was too "nervous."
What I resent most, not in the text, but in the reflection of what the text says, is that at some point in history, mainstream society persecuted women or looked down on their abilities for something I feel makes them women to celebrate: their “nerves”. I think it is true in most cases, although I can not speak for every woman, that women are by comparison more emotional. I realize this is a loaded word for how it has often been used, but that is the point. Women have a unique ability to "sense" things, and in this story and in history that has been dismissed. Characteristics categorized as "female" are dismissed as being of less or no value. Instead I feel these unique qualities provide value to humanity if only society would accept it.
In regard to the text, I think Gilman reveals many, many deeply felt emotions in women as second class citizens. I can not imagine how women of her time felt in regard to these things, but I know that even I still feel very strong emotions as a woman in a "male" society in 2007, where I do not always understand what exactly it is that gets to me, but I just know that something isn't right. These nurtured "made-to-feel" emotions are DEEPLY woven into our American fabric.
After reading this story, I went and bought another book on other short stories from Gilman, which includes some selections from Women and Economics. (I will have to order Women and Economics).
Eng 48b
Dr. Scott Lankford
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper."
"At first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies." pg. 835
In the story, this quote was meant to describe the woman's will for the wallpaper to come down, and her husband’s refusal to give her this. Socially and psychological, the principle of the matter is what lies beneath.
Who cares about the wallpaper? It is just wallpaper! ...Right? Wrong! The significance of the wallpaper is what it symbolizes. In this case, it symbolizes something which is all around the woman, yet something she cannot control. The wallpaper was chosen for her. To have something so close day in and day out, and yet be so far from having any affect as to what color it is, is ridiculous. It would be like teacher or school not being able to choose the curriculum, but have it instead be chosen by a third party having nothing to do with education. It would be like men deciding what is best for women....oh, that is exactly what it is. An unaffected third party can not know what it is to be someone or something they are not.
In this case, WHY can't she repaper the wall? After all, SHE is the one living in the room day in and day out for 3 months. If the room had Nazi symbols plastered all over the wall and a Jew was forced to reside in the room for any amount of time, I am sure he or she would go just as crazy as the woman in this story did.
The wallpaper represents the limitations or oppression of women. The text says, "At first he meant to repaper the room, but..." At first, he (John & on a larger scale, the dominant male society) meant to allow her to have her way. AT FIRST! BUT, then he thought about it twice! If she had her way once, she would want to have her way again. For whatever reason, this came as a threat to John so he decided finally that he would not repaper the room for her. He would not give her an ounce of choice or freedom in the unfortunate and probable event that she may have a taste of the freedom and want more. Besides, he only “meant” to let her have her way initially, he never decided. Good intentions are meaningless. That is oppression.
The second part of the quote reaffirms that the woman must be crazy. Of course, it is classic for the United States to blame the person/people they are oppressing as some sort of justification for self-elevation of the dominant male/white/rich society. The same happened to the blacks. They could not be free because they were "dangerous" and could not be trusted. In this case, the woman's judgment could also not be trusted, for she was too "nervous."
What I resent most, not in the text, but in the reflection of what the text says, is that at some point in history, mainstream society persecuted women or looked down on their abilities for something I feel makes them women to celebrate: their “nerves”. I think it is true in most cases, although I can not speak for every woman, that women are by comparison more emotional. I realize this is a loaded word for how it has often been used, but that is the point. Women have a unique ability to "sense" things, and in this story and in history that has been dismissed. Characteristics categorized as "female" are dismissed as being of less or no value. Instead I feel these unique qualities provide value to humanity if only society would accept it.
In regard to the text, I think Gilman reveals many, many deeply felt emotions in women as second class citizens. I can not imagine how women of her time felt in regard to these things, but I know that even I still feel very strong emotions as a woman in a "male" society in 2007, where I do not always understand what exactly it is that gets to me, but I just know that something isn't right. These nurtured "made-to-feel" emotions are DEEPLY woven into our American fabric.
After reading this story, I went and bought another book on other short stories from Gilman, which includes some selections from Women and Economics. (I will have to order Women and Economics).
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