The Image Of Woman's Life In Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Image Of Woman's Life In Literature - Essay Example Suppression of the private ambitions of womenfolk has been unavoidable, for the so-called larger interests of the family and the society. Menfolk utilized the institution of marriage to their advantage. In the stories â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†, by Ernest Hemingway elaborate articulation has been made by the authors as to how the women, whether traditional or modern, have always been at the receiving end and menfolk are not willing to give her space and do not realize the damage they cause to her psyche due to over-protectiveness or outright suppression of her rights and individuality. She has no life of her own and it is linked to the interests of others. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is concerned with the age-old traditions of unequal status of women in the society that has a direct bearing on the institution of marriage. Women are forced into solitude as per the prevai ling conventions of the society. The suffering of women is the theme of the story and as such how the institution of marriage can command respect? The traditional woman has always been at the receiving end and at every stage of her life, the domineering influence of her father first and later that of her husband impacts her life. The narrator suffers from the inferiority complex as her psyche is controlled by her overbearing husband due to which she almost loses her independent thinking power. All avenues for the growth of her personality are barred from her physician husband who firmly believes that he has the panacea for all her ills. She is diagnosed as ill, even though she is not! Illness is forced upon her to subdue her independent spirit. She lives the life of enforced solitude and that is not the fault of any individual, but the societal conventions demand the same. Husband has his own procedures to deal with his wife. The narrator articulates, â€Å"It is so hard to talk wi th John about my case, because he is so wise, and because he loves me so.† (81)After marriage, her over-protective husband is not willing to allow the sapling of her individuality to grow. She bemoans, â€Å"John is a physician, and perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind--) perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.† (74) Her God-gifted creativity is not given an opportunity to grow. She laments, â€Å"It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work.† (77) She turns cynical. The two important metaphors in the story relate to the feminist interpretation. The yellow wallpaper itself is a metaphor that articulates the subjugation of women by the male fraternity. The irregular pattern of the paper indicates the inconsistency in the life of a woman, and how she is unable to find the proper balance in her life due to circumstances forced upon her by the male-dominated society. The second important metaphor also relates to the wallpaper, but from a different angle. The women remain trapped in the wallpaper. The narrator wonders whether she alone is trapped thus, but immediately reverts to the universal generalization of women and reflects that there are others suffering like her. In â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† Ernest Hemingway creates character development through actions and dialogues instead of descriptions and allegories.