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Women In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Short Stories

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“Hero’s get remembered, but legends never die.” The band, “Four Year Strong,” took into account that just because someone does something great, does not necessarily mean they will be remembered. Yet, to become a legend, someone has to live a lifestyle like no other. This quote really ties into the fact that women, even in short stories, are portrayed unequal. For instance, each of the following short stories provide proof: “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “ A Dolls House” by Henrik Ibsen. All of the stories show how women are ignored, misunderstood, and frustrated because of their husband. But really, they show resistance, leadership, and determination to take a stand for their beliefs in …show more content…

“The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a similar case dated circa the 19th century. The narrator is married to a “high standing” Dr. who “does not believe that she is sick”(Gilman 216). He claims that she is just depressed and that a bit of alone time will do her good. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written at a time that women were without right’s and depression was becoming more common in women after pregnancy’s. “The Yellow Wallpaper” compares to “Cathedral” because both women in each story were abused. One wife had everything she could ask for but was depressed. The other wife had everything except love. Their husbands were both very selfish and fit the role of white male. “Given the four basic functions performed by the Orthodox Wife- breeder, nurturer, home-manager, bed partner- she has distinct leverage over her husband in only one. The incest taboo makes him dependent upon his wife for that entity crucial to patriarchy, a male heir. After breeding, the wife can be replaced. The husband can acquire women to fulfill all of her other functions” (Veeder). To an extent all three books, “Cathedral,” “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and “A Doll’s House” all relate to Veeder’s quote. By the end of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator has become completely insane. This is due to her husband ignoring her problems and using her for his “medical experimentations” (Veeder). Because of this, he passed The moral of the story is intended to teach men to be more cautious when their loved one is behaving

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