Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wall-Paper from a Feminist Perspective. A Woman’s Place in a Patriarchal World

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Duisburg-Essen (Institut fur Anglophone Studien), language: English, abstract: The Yellow Wallpaper gives ample scope for interpretation, and therefore a great amount of (sometimes conflicting) readings emerged since its publication. As this term paper attempts to reveal the way Gilman criticizes the suppression of women in her days, the discussion will mainly include the analytical work of feminist critics. For the inquiry, the following questions will be central: 1) How does Gilman use language to criticize the patriarchal structures presented in the story? 2) In which way can the heroine’s behavior and progress be interpreted as a reflection of the rising feminist activism? 3) To what extend does the image of the woman in the wallpaper convey meaning?