The Yellow Wallpaper, By Lee Smith And Charlotte Perkins...

Throughout every society’s history, there has been a prevalent inequality between the females and males of that population. Women have been considered slaves or property belonging to men; thus they have been viewed as second-class citizens and intellectual inferior. Most prominent is the idea that a women’s purpose in life was to remain in the domestic sphere. This meant their interactions and occupations within the public sphere was severely limited. This preconceived bias towards women’s only job to be a wife remained constant through centuries although the degrees of pressure on women varied. As decades progressed into the late 1800s to present time, a women’s occupational world had a chance grow outside their domestic sphere. Although†¦show more content†¦John basically forces her to live in a single room, once converted from a nursery, for months in order to get well faster. She isn’t allowed to work at all or even pursue her love of w riting. This being the only activity providing her with comfort. When confronted with these remedies, she is unable to express what she really feels about them. She explains, â€Å"Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?† She knew her opinion regarding her health meant very little to John. For her husband was a prominent physician therefore his suggestion of treatment was basically the law. This is reinforcing the prejudice that women were too weak to take care of themselves. The narrator knows because of how society is structured, the treatments she concludes will work aren’t significant enough to be heard. All she is allowed to think or say is concerning the home life. Thus Charlotte follows her husband’s orders and remains in the nursery. Charlotte’s insanity represents the outstandingly unequal society women are forced to live in. Due to Charlotte’s permanent exile to the nursery, her inability to write and her longing for much needed interactions with people, she becomes irrational. She isn’t allowed to do anything on her own. For example, â€Å"He is very careful and loving, and