Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is widely read and studied by literary critics around the world who are interested in its origin and purpose. Feminists claim the story as their own, viewing it as a condemnation of males in general. There is much debate in the world of literature about why Gilman wrote such a shocking story. I believe that Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” in order to protest the rest cure and reflect the effect that the patriarchal society had on women in the arena of mental illness in the 19 th century. I will demonstrate this in an exploration of the societal expectations for women in the 19 th century, the history of mental illness, the infamous rest cure, and how all of this pertains to literature, particularly in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY’S EXPECTATIONS FOR WOMEN ...
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