Shining a light on the gender ideology “trapped” within Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-Paper” is what I intend to do in this blog post. The domain in which women were apart of in 19^th century America is described through the doctrine of separate spheres. This created a constraining form of gender ideology that both sexes were forced to comply to because of the way society treated them. The doctrine of separate spheres is an old common law principle, that depicts men living out their lives in the public eye. They are at “home” in the workplace and take pride making changes in the government and in general community life. Females on the other hand are living in their own private sector. Where women belong is in the home keeping all opinions to themselves while making life easier for everyone around them, no matter what their own personal feelings towards the matter are. This type of segregated society causes women live by certain unwritten rules and regulations. Gilman uses many words and symbols to help further prove her point of gender ideology trapping women behind wall paper. I admire the symbolic nature of this text and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

The use of the word sin to describe the wall paper helps prove that it symbolizes gender ideology. The main character gives a detailed account of the wall paper by saying it “commits an artistic sin” (Gilman 487). The ideal characteristics of women in the 19^th century are purity, piety, and domesticity. Purity and piety are both terms that are often associated with religion, the word sin also shares that same correlation. Here Gilman uses an interesting choice of language. The wall paper represents ideology; this specific form of ideology is closely related to a woman being angelic. Therefore, relating the wall paper to a sin is strongly contradicting the ideas behind a woman’s role in the doctrine of separate spheres society. The use of sin shines an extremely negative light upon participating in the ideology, epically since these women of the 19^th century pride themselves on fitting the criteria of someone who is pious and pure.

The color of the wall paper is a symbol for how old and outdated the doctrine of separate spheres is regarding women’s position in society. Yellow, which is the color of the wall paper, represents something that is old and decaying. Jane speaks about the color by saying how it is “repellent, almost revolting” (Gilman 487). She also says it is “unclean” (Gilman 487) and “faded” (Gilman 487). Yellowing of the skin happens when a human is becoming old. Paper also yellows over time. The wall paper being yellow represents how the idea that women must be confined to the household and have no position in the public domain is outdated. This old world common law is something that needs to be changed. The yellow wall paper needs to be stripped and a fresh coat of paint needs to replace it.

The yellow wall paper being studied, actualized, and finally torn down symbolizes the journey that women are going to have to go through to break from the 19^th century gender ideology. The wall paper entrapping women behind it displays the sovereignty that the doctrine of separate spheres had over the women of 1893. These females felt trapped and the only way to break from the vicious cycle of being a housewife is to band together and stand up for your own rights. The inspiring message behind this story conveyed through descriptive symbolic language motivated the women of the 19^th century to take a stand and break the mold.

Works Cited:

Stetson, Charlotte Perkins. “The Literature of Prescription.” The Yellow Wall-Paper, www.nlm.nih.gov/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf.