Characterization of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Desirees Baby

Characterization of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Desirees Baby There was a time (not so long ago) when a mans superiority and pronouncement wasnt a question, but an accepted truth. In the two short stories, Desirees Baby, and The Yellow Wallpaper, women are portrayed as weak creatures of vanity with shallow or absent personalities, who are dependent on men for their livelihood, and even their sanity. Without men, these women were absolutely helpless and useless. Their very existence hinged on absolute and unquestioning long-sufferingalone, a woman is nothing. The setting of both stories reinforces the notion of wo mens dependence on men. The late 1800s were a turbulent time for womens roles. The turn of the century brought about revolution, provide by the energy and freedom of a new horizonbut it was still just around the bend. In this era, during which both short stories were published, members of the weaker sex were blatantly disregarded as individuals, who had minds tha t could think, and reason, and form valid opinions. Also, in both tales, the characters are removed from society. In Desirees Baby, the plantation is bordered by a scene of action and a bayou, isolating its inhabitants from the world. The narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper tells us, Out of one window I can see a gardenout of some other I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf (161). They are out in the country, where the modern metropolis cant touch them, or begin to mold their sexist ways and old fashioned ideals into contemporary mindsets. This seclusion also ensures that no outside forces threaten the mens absolute and total control of their weak, defenseless charges. In addition to their surroundings, the homes themselves... ...no worth. Its very sad to think that a woman and a man could have ever so thought this way. However, its even sadder to think that some still do. Women everywhere suffer abuse, mental or otherwise, at the hands or their (pri)mates ev ery day. They must aim the strength in themselves and the confidence to know that THEY are the ones who determine their own fateand to realize that no one has the right to put them down. Our foremothers worked hard to pack sure that we had choices-- not obligations. And when we let someone else take those choices from us, they are really taking our freedom, and our life. Works CitedChopin, Kate. Dsires Baby. 1893. 8 Apr. 2003Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. 1892. The refreshful England Magazine. Reprinted in Lives & Moments - An Introduction to Short Fiction by Hans Ostrom. Hold,Orlando, FL 1991.