Comparing The Awakening, And The Yellow Wallpaper

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A Man’s World, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Awakening, and “The Yellow Wallpaper” all illustrate the inescapability of the patriarchy as the misunderstanding and oppression of women, along with the influences of others, creates a difficult transcendence into the freedom of oneself. The works presented portray a reflection of humanity due to society’s skewed perspectives of a woman’s ability to accomplish great tasks. This entrapment of male dominance can result in a variety of responses, yet all lead to the same emotional impact of desolation and helplessness. The oppressive powers of others cause an unequal power dynamic to occur. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a dystopian setting where women’s reproductive systems define them as individuals. The …show more content…
The denial of ideas can gradually lead to the torment of one's self. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” takes place in a large, isolated house during the 1890s, and an unnamed woman, the narrator, has mental instability. As she struggles and suggests different courses of action for herself, the dominant male ideas surrounding her neglect her emotions, “...I told him that I really was not gaining here, and that I wished he would take me away.” Her husband responds to the woman by saying, “...but you really are better, dear, whether you can see it or not. I am a doctor, dear, and I know” (Gilman 11). The dependence on her husband and his decisions reflects the overarching patriarchal standards enforced towards women as he has the main control over his wife. Her husband’s power grows through the invalidation of herself and her opinions. This misunderstanding of women due to men’s unconcerned thoughts showcases how females gradually become represented as this lesser being of knowledge towards
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