Feminism Short Stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Feminism Short Stories - Essay Example The stories, considered further on, represent social turmoil experienced by women, who lived in the nineteenth century. Thesis: a moral oppression and social bounds imposed on the main characters of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Nathanial Hawthorne reflect negative impacts caused on physical and emotional condition of women. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Therefore, we will focus on the ways the main characters from these short stories fought against their oppression. There were different physical and emotional conditions among these women. The first short story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman represents an emotional and moral degradation of the main character of the story. In her intentions, she tries to reveal a woman hiding behind yellow wallpapers of the room. She tries to climb up the wallpapers and at the same time she tries to escape from oppressing reality. This woman is positioned as a â€Å"hysterical woman†, which means her unusual behavior for the society of the nineteenth century. This woman is able to make some notes in her diary about the oppressing circumstances happening to her life. She is unable to take care of her child and she feels depressed. At the same time, this woman is locked in the room, which was a child room. In her despair she pulls off all the wallpapers: â€Å"I've got out at last†¦.and I've pulled off most of the paper so you can't put me back!† (Gilman). At this moment the author shows to us the way her husband faints. In other words, she shows that this man could not remain conscious. He cannot take control over his emotions, the same way like women do. Therefore, his wife maybe is not too weird; she just was oppressed by social stereotypes and behavioral templates. Once she gets rid of these ties, she becomes free. There is much more behind her life and her inner feelings and emotions. Her emotions are oppressed and her inner self experiences de gradation. Nevertheless, she manages to pull all her efforts and direct her power on overcoming the most challenging moments in her life. She makes changes in the room; she releases an imagined woman from the wall and in such a way she releases herself from a â€Å"yellow wall† or social oppression. She finally manages to cope with her emotional burden and the fact that her husband faints in her face, means that this woman defeats him. Unfortunately, the heroine of another short story does not have so much power. Nathanial Hawthorne, â€Å"The Birthmark† In another short story written by Nathanial Hawthorne, â€Å"The Birthmark†, Georgiana has a birthmark on her cheek. This imperfect trait makes her husband insane, because he is obsessed with having an ideal wife. The author tells exactly about the most acute problem, oppressing the modern women: their physical ideal form. There is only appearance, which should be followed by a woman. Another factor, determining behavior of Aylmer is his occupation. He is a perfect scientist and he is sure that a man is able to take control over nature. The birthmark on the face of his wife looks like a hand. His husband makes her remove this â€Å"dreadful hand†. He made his life drink the elixir. She dies and the birthmark disappears from her face. He was not focused on love to his wife; he was focused on love to his work. He wanted to make his wife perfect and he reached his goal. The author shows to the readers that Aylmer is a selfish individual. He