Analyze A Work Of Literature Not Presented In Class

Analyze A Work Of Literature Not Presented In Class In About 8 Pages

Analyze a work of literature not presented in class in about 8 pages (words). The paper should focus on how this work of literature can be seen as part of the ongoing discourse on women and gender approached in our class discussions. At least two secondary sources are required to support your argument, aside from the class text or texts you are using as a reference point. Below are some texts that I have been covering during class; choose one or two depending on your usage of the secondary sources: Gilbert & Gubar: Madwoman in the Attic; Gilman: The Yellow Wallpaper; Glaspell: Trifles; Gould: X: A Fabulous Child’s Story; Munro: Boys and Girls; Butler: Gender Trouble; El-Saadawi: Memoirs of a Woman Doctor; Bordo: The Unbearable Weight; Walker: Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self; Plath: Mirror; Lehrer: Family and Women’s Lives; Yamamoto: Seventeen Syllables; Chopin: The Story of an Hour. General writing guidelines: Begin with an introduction that starts with a general discussion around your main topic, moving to a thesis statement that clearly defines your focus and explains how you will carry your argument. (This is generally a question you try to answer in your paper, though the thesis statement is not to be written in the form of a sentence. For example, question: What did the protagonist in The Yellow Wallpaper gain at the end of story as she blatantly acted like a mad woman? Thesis: The paper argues that the protagonist's insanity in The Yellow Wallpaper demonstrates a conscious knowledge of what woman loses when she is married, as such, insanity becomes her escape from the suffocating constitution of marriage.) Use at least 3 paragraphs that support your argument, each focusing on one main point. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence and end with a concluding sentence. Your argument in each paragraph should be supported by evidence collected from your research. The use of direct quotations from the primary source and secondary sources is highly recommended. End with a conclusion that summarizes your argument and moves beyond it if possible, through opening up the topic for similar or related discussions.

Paper For Above instruction

The exploration of women’s roles, identities, and societal expectations in literature offers insightful perspectives on gender and power dynamics. In this paper, I analyze Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, a seminal feminist work that critiques the oppressive structures limiting women’s autonomy during the late 19th century. By examining how the protagonist’s descent into madness symbolizes resistance to patriarchal confinement, I argue that Gilman’s narrative reveals the destructive effects of gender subjugation and highlights the necessity of self-empowerment for women. This analysis aligns with ongoing feminist discourses discussed in class and incorporates secondary sources such as Gilbert and Gubar’s Madwoman in the Attic and Elaine Showalter’s Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness.

The first point of analysis focuses on the depiction of societal restrictions placed on women in The Yellow Wallpaper. The protagonist’s confinement and medical misdiagnosis exemplify the Victorian ideal of female domesticity, which Gilman criticizes through her portrayal of the wallpaper as a symbol of societal constraints. As Gilbert and Gubar discuss, the 'woman in the attic' motif represents the silenced, imprisoned female voice within patriarchal literature and society. The protagonist’s obsession with the wallpaper’s pattern underscores her increasing recognition of her entrapment, and her eventual identification with the woman trapped within the wallpaper symbolizes her desire to break free from societal expectations. This internal struggle illustrates Gilman’s critique of the confinement imposed on women and advocates for reform in gender roles.

The second support point examines the mental and emotional consequences of oppressive gender roles exemplified by the protagonist’s mental deterioration. The 'rest cure' prescribed by her husband epitomizes the patronizing medical attitudes toward women’s mental health, which often dismissed their agency. Elaine Showalter emphasizes that such treatments reinforced the notion that women’s natural state was one of weakness that needed suppression. In the narrative, the protagonist’s madness emerges as a conscious act of rebellion—her refusal to accept the passive, fragile identity expected of her. Her act of tearing down the wallpaper, although viewed as insanity, can be interpreted as a symbolic act of reclaiming her voice and identity, challenging the patriarchal expectations that confined her. This underscores how oppressive gender norms can lead to psychological trauma and illustrates the importance of recognizing women’s agency in mental health discourse.

The third point considers the broader implications of Gilman’s critique, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and activism in confronting gender oppression. The protagonist’s ultimate break from reality symbolizes both a tragic consequence of suppression and a metaphor for women’s awakening to their power. Gilman advocates for societal change by illustrating the dangers of ignoring women’s needs and voices. By contextualizing this within feminist theory, especially Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity, the paper highlights that gender is not an innate quality but a set of performative acts that can be challenged and redefined. Gilman’s story thus encourages women to resist societal scripts and envision alternative, empowering identities. Consequently, the story remains relevant today as a call for ongoing activism and reevaluation of gender roles, reaffirming the importance of gender self-determination in feminist discourse.

References

• Gilbert, S. M., & Gubar, S. (1979). Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale University Press.
• Showalter, E. (1985). Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness. Critical Inquiry, 11(3), 431–451.
• Butler, J. (1990). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge.
• Gilman, C. P. (1892). The Yellow Wallpaper. The New England Magazine.
• Humm, M. (1989). Feminism and Art. Edinburgh University Press.
• Walker, A. (1983). <em>In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose</em>. Womanist Press.
• Foucault, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality, Volume I. Vintage.
• Showalter, E. (1991). The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture, 1830-1980. Penguin Books.
• Schiebinger, L. (1991). Has Feminism Changed Science? Harvard University Press.
• Haraway, D. (1988). Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies, 14(3), 575–599.