Oppression in The Yellow Wallpaper
In her novel ‘The Yellow Wallpaper,’ Gilman uses oppression of women as the primary theme. Witten in 1892, the narrative seeks to depict the struggles faced by women, particularly women after giving birth. The story focuses on the narrator’s struggles after barely surviving while giving birth. The protagonist endures an unspeakable ordeal in the hands of her husband, John. In this novel, Gilman skillfully incorporated oppression, both literary and symbolically, to portray the unimaginable challenges encountered by women during pregnancy and after giving birth. The theme of oppression is evident even in the book’s title, the yellow wallpaper. Symbolically, the term yellow paper indicates unclean and unpleasant situations that most women find themselves in while dealing with pregnancy and postnatal stress. Given that the narrative was written in the 19th century when maternal care was not advanced, Gilman was trying to reveal to the world the oppression most women often encounter after childbearing.
Women often suffer from depression and anxiety due to pregnancy and postnatal stress. To make matters worse, the people who are in a position to help them may misunderstand them, thus failing to offer the best care possible. As a result, these women end up living in nightmares without getting the necessary help. This harsh reality is evidenced in Gilman’s novel as the protagonist endures immense suffering while her husband ignores her. The husband, John, forces her to undergo the ‘Rest Cure’ treatment that was popular back then but did not solve the sufferings endured by the women. Despite being already traumatized by the giving birth experience, the protagonist is put in isolation by her husband and denied fundamental privileges of interacting with other people or her hobbies such as writing. As such, Gilman has artistically used oppression theme to symbolize the struggles of women.
Oppression in A Room of One’s Own
In the novel ‘A Room of One’s Own,’ Woolf pursues the theme of oppression of women in society. Notably, the book was written at the beginning of the 20th century, and the role of women in the male-dominated society was not yet defined. Woolf explains that despite having revolutionary minds and important skills, women are often undermined as male chauvinism continued to prevail. Notably, she condemns the idea that men are the only ones capable of nurturing great ideas, a belief that has denied women that chance to prove themselves since the beginning of time. The novel explains that in the male-dominated world, women are often denied resources, opportunities, and chances to show their worth. As a result, Wolf claims that for any woman to succeed in her endeavors, she has to find her own resource and work in secret, thus the title ‘A Room of One’s Own.’
Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own refers to the oppressed women who have to keep most of their ideas to themselves for lack of opportunities and support in a world where men have ruled supremely. The author believes that given a chance, women could prove to be equally capable. For instance, Woolf explores the probability that if William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers ever, had a sister, and if she could be allowed to produce the works Shakespeare did. Although women are equally human as men, lack of financial support, and opportunities forces them to be disadvantaged as men take the forefront. Thus, the book affirms that since the world does not favor women publicly, they have to have a secret room where they can do their things in isolation. This form of oppression hinders the development of women’s talents and skills, including female writers.