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Essay / Social criticism is prevalent throughout the narrative of "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, as she discusses aspects of male chauvinism and feminist perspective in the 19th century. Throughout history it is possible to see the patriarchal structure established by men in relation to the subordinate status of women. Gilman's idea for "The Yellow Wallpaper" grew out of her own life, she was also patient, Gilman was even quoted as saying, "The real purpose of the story was to reach Dr. S. Weir Mitchell and have him convince of the error of his ways.” .'Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Throughout the story, women seem to have accepted their prescribed gender roles in 19th century society. In this patriarchal society in which Gilman exhibits, there are specific roles for men and women. “Jennie is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper and could not hope for a better job” reveals the satisfaction that some women have in their profession. Jennie, as perceived by the narrator, is happy as a housekeeper and believes that this is a woman's role, and such gender roles are prescribed by 19th century society, meaning that she has no hope of a better profession. She does not want to become better or immerse herself in roles traditionally assigned to men. Besides gender roles, there are stereotypical behaviors associated with women, for example the narrator mentions her statement: "It's the same woman, I know, because she's always crawling, and most women don't crawl at the daylight,” suggests that there is a behavior characteristic of women. Such generalizations end up categorizing women's behavior as one, which undermines the sense of who they are, and without identity, the generalization means that society expects women to behave in a specific way. Patriarchal society forces men to act in chauvinistic ways. based on the structure of their gender roles, as demonstrated by John describing manly attributes of rationality and protectiveness, he succumbs to traditional, patriarchal expectations that a man is the ultimate decision maker. He constantly belittles his wife and dismisses her opinion because he belittles her by calling her a "little girl." He believes that his wife is incapable of making decisions because she is likely irrational, as she states: "John makes fun of me, of course, but that's expected in marriage. » Which characterizes his level of disrespect towards her regarding decision-making. Just like the mysterious woman trapped behind the yellow paper, the narrator feels like her house is a trap of life. Society forces her to respect the structure of specific gender roles and female behavior. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Obviously, “The Yellow Book” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a social critique of 19th century society. It discusses the gender roles and professions traditionally assigned to women, exposes the generalized behavior towards women and the chauvinistic behavior represented by men. Society's attitude towards women forces them to conform to expectations such as being satisfied with their role and not aspiring for career improvement. Along the same lines, the generalization of their behavior, for example through groveling behavior, means that society expects all women to behave in a specific way, without a sense of identity...
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