Introduction
The
feminist analysis is the application of the ideologies of feminism on a
literary text. Feminism itself is the collection of movements focusing on
establishing and defending the rights of women in different political, social,
economical, and legal fields.
Feminist
Analysis
The
feminist analysis of a literary text focuses on two basic notions i.e. the
role of the women portrayed in the text and the construction of women in
the text by relating it with different ideas highlighted by literary feminist
critics. The feminist analysis of the short story The Yellow
Wallpaper will be done about these two aspects.
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The
Portrayal of Women in the Text
The
portrayal of women in the text is one of the most significant aspects of
analyzing a literary text through feminist criticism. Firstly, the portrayal of
the protagonist in the short story in the start is like an ideal wife who is
submissive. The only role she has been given is to obey the patriarchy i.e. her
husband. The husband; John is the representative of patriarchy in the short
story. Throughout the short story, he is seen controlling his wife ordering her
not to write
John
has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least
Laughing
at her
John
laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage
And
even considering her as emotionally, intellectually and socially inferior
being. The treatment of the protagonist is more like an ornamental wife rather
than as an equal partner having her rights and values. Her husband even
dictates her actions as highlighted in the text:
He
is very careful and loving, and
Hardly
lets me stir without special direction.
Again
and again, she is emotionally degraded by the patriarchy. She is treated like a
puppet rather than a human being having a mind of her own. Her husband
prescribes her medicines instead of taking her to a doctor. He considers her to
be an emotionally incapable and inferior being who needs a shoulder to cry
upon. Her existence is mere of an object who is defined by the hands of the
patriarchy which is subordinated to the male. Her social and economic freedom
has been snatched away by her husband as he doesn’t approve of her writing:
He
hates to have me write a word
She
is confined to the room by the misogynists and needs the approval of her
husband to write. She is treated as a mirror possessing the power to reflect
the glorified image of her husband who loves her. Even the identity of the
protagonist is not told. The only information that is given about her personal
life is her relationship with the male i.e. her husband and her brother.
The
Social Construction of the Women in the Text
Another
significant aspect of feminist analysis is the identification of the social
construction of women in the text. At the start of the short story the
protagonist herself is in a feminine phase i.e. she accepts the prevalent
social conditions in which she follows the commands of the patriarchy and never
rebels against those societal norms and social roles of women. As the story
progresses the protagonist comes to realize her plights at the hands of her
husband. She realizes that she is being controlled all along and to suppress
that sense of being controlled she scratches away the yellow wallpaper:
And
I’ve pulled off most
Of
the paper, so you can’t put me back!
And
finally, in the end, she accepts this construct and by standing over her
husband she feels a sense of superiority and accomplishment. For the first time
she feels superior to her husband and creeps over him again and again:
But
he did, and right across my path by
The
wall, so that I had to creep over him
Every
time!
Conclusion
In
conclusion, one may say that feminist criticism deals with the portrayal of
women and the social construction of women in the literary text. By applying
feminist criticism to the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, one can
highlight the social, and psychological pressure the women of contemporary
society had to face in the name of different social institutions such as
marriage.
This great analysis is done by Syeda Areeba Fatima, one of the contributors at the School of Literature.
