Leslie Perez
Culture of Domesticity
Hour 3
Several ideologies that influenced social culture and provoked social sanctions derived from society’s perception of perfection. One idealistic revolution of women was the Culture of Domesticity. The Culture of Domesticity made its mark on the ideal image of women and their place in society in the late nineteenth century up until the early twentieth century. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman compare the ideology’s elements of being in separate spheres and being mentally subordinate.
Jane and the creeping woman in The Yellow Wallpaper and Louis in The Story of an Hour are similar as they are both kept from the public sphere. For instance,
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Relating to this, Louis is also kept from the public sphere. She is formally known as Mrs.Mallard, Brently Mallard’s wife. Brently Mallard’s name was at the top of the list of citizens killed in a railroad accident, tying his name to significance in the public sphere. Since Louise’s own name is discarded when she is addressed and is left with only her husband’s name, it supports the idea of her identity being overshadowed by her husbands; it is implied that her name does not exist in the public sphere, nor her identity. Therefore, Jane in The Yellow Wallpaper and Louis are faced with obstacles keeping them inside the private sphere. In addition to The Yellow Wallpaper, the creeping woman seen outside the window was also kept inside the private sphere. This woman was seen creeping in order to not be seen and appeared to be secretive or doing something wrong. She also appeared to be completely still in very bright spots. This illustrates that the creeping woman represents the women who were forced to creep and hide behind domestic patterns because they had to be obedient in remaining in the private sphere. Along with the creeping woman, Louis had no other choice than to be in the private sphere. Louis lived …show more content…
They are also seen as mentally subordinate because of their health conditions, with Jane having a nervous condition and Louise having heart troubles. Both of these literary works reveal how the Culture of Domesticity made its mark on the ideal image of women and their place in
"Jane," is a romance fiction story written by Mary Roberts Rinehart. In this story, we come across a female protagonist who displays the characteristics of a typical woman during the War period. This story has been analyzed by different literary critics as they try to describe the different point of views this story can lead one to believing. Jane shows qualities that can lead one to believing that she is hysteric, thus creating the theme of hysteria in relation to the domestic sphere. In contrast to this, Jane eventually breaks off from these norms and goes against the concept of angel in the house.
Often times women were unable to break of their repressive bonds in their marriages. Throughout the 19th century, many women were left at home all day to oversee domestic duties. They had such great influence at home which gave men the need to constantly put them in their place, which was beneath theirs. It was the women’s job to please their husbands who dictated every aspect of their life. In all four texts, Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, Emily Dickinson’s, “She Rose to His Requirement”, Susan Glaspell’s, Trifles and Zora Neale Hurston’s
Also exclusive was their “sphere,” or domain of influence, which was confined completely to the home. Thus the Cult of Domesticity “privatized” women’s options for work, for education, for voicing opinions, or for supporting reform. The true woman would take on the obligations of housekeeping, raising good children, and making her family’s home a haven of health, happiness, and virtue. All society would benefit from her performance of these sacred domestic
For the time period, in which the story takes place, a male-controlled marriage was normal. Jane stated, “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.” (Gilman) from the statement the reader can deduce the fact, that unequal balance between male and female in marriage was common. Throughout the story of Jane being neglected and belittled, leads to her losing her mind at the end go the story. Jane imagines that a woman is in the wallpaper to hide her problems.
Jane being ignored is a reason why she has some mental issues. She feels ashamed of what she is feeling and society makes it hard for her to want to talk about this with anyone. Not being able to talk about it, causes Jane’s depression to get worse with
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman deals with the exploitation of women during the fin de siècle. The story reveals the mind of a young woman who is, over of a course of time, going insane and finding her true self. Throughout the story the reader experiences the frustration of a woman who is suffering from postnatal depression, which is a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby. During the late Victorian era, woman were forced into a certain stereotype, that of a mother and wife. The way men could, women were not allowed to challenge and express themselves.
Patriarchal societies have existed as long as there have been humans. From the beginning when men would hunt and women would gather, to the present day wage gap, men’s demonstration of superiority is evident throughout history. Women, historically, serve as accessories to men, seen not heard. However, some brave women question their role in society. Edna Pontellier, in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, conforms outwardly to the societal role of women existing only as mothers and wives but questions inwardly through exploration of her individuality and sexuality, as demonstrated through her relationships with her husband Leonce Pontellier and Robert Lebrun, yet her realization that her growth will not be accepted by others ultimately causes her death.
This similarity can be seen in both novels as an indicator of the loneliness both characters’
She exists in a time when women are classified as objects of beauty and property, and her heart trouble suggests that she is fragile. Louise’s initial reaction to the news of her husband’s death suggests that she is deeply saddened and grief stricken when she escapes to her bedroom. However, the reader is caught off-guard with Louise’s secret reaction to the news of her husband’s death because she contradicts the gender norm of the 19th century woman. Her contradiction to the stereotype / gender norm is displayed when she slowly reveals her inward
He places her in the nursery of the colonial mansion, despite her requests to be placed otherwise, “I don 't like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs... but John would not hear of it” (Gilman, 2). The narrator’s husband dictates all aspects of her life to the point where she internalizes her husband 's authority, accepting his dominance over her, “I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus—but John says the very worst thing I can do is think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad,” (Gilman, 2). Even though the narrator knows what she needs is to be active surrounded by people instead of cooped up alone in a house out in the countryside, she abruptly stops her train of thought as she remembers John’s instructions to not think about her condition.
The Cult of True Womanhood in “The Yellow Wallpaper” In her essay “The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860”, Barbara Welter discusses the expected roles and characteristics that women were supposed to exhibit in accordance with the extreme patriarchy of the nineteenth-century America. The unnamed narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is seen to conform and ultimately suffer from this patriarchal construct that Welter labels the Cult of True Womanhood. The narrator falls victim to this life of captivity by exhibiting several of the fundamental characteristics that Welter claims define what a woman was told she ought to be.
In comparing and contrast both drama A Doll House by (Henrik Ibsen), and Trifles by (Susan Glaspell). The authors shine a light on how a woman had no place in society in the nineteenth century .A woman place was in her home and her responsibility’s consist of taking care of her husband, her children and her home. Mrs. Wright was introduce to the reader as woman that was held for murdering her husband after a long time of abuse. Nora was introduce to the reader as woman that had everything in life.
First, Jane Eyre’s attributes displays women in our society who are still in search for meaning and love in their lives. Just like Jane’s spirit of passion despite abuse, these women continue to search for respect from other
Growing up as a woman has been quite difficult in this generation, however, growing up around thirty years ago must have been more difficult. Back in the 1900’s, women had different social norms to deal with in society. Women had to stay at home, be housewives, do the laundry, and cook while men went out and worked to obtain money for their family. In Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, she tells the struggles that women went through back in the 1990 's and the social norms that women had to go through. Chopin addresses many instances of symbolism to portray the feeling Mrs. Mallard has about her own thoughts and experiences with or without a man in her life.
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.