Symbols of Suppression

A detailed Summary of Symbols of Suppression

Reflecting their role in society, women in the Victorian era are often portrayed in a position that is dominated by men. In the nineteenth century women were controlled and maintain by their spouses and other influential men. In "The Yellow Wall-Paper" the protagonist represents the effect of the oppression of women in the Victorian Society. Using complex symbols like the house, windows, and wallpaper creates this effect, which are used to show her oppression in society.

It is customary to find the symbol of the house as representing a safe place for a woman to have free domain, and to feel comfortable in. However, in this story the house is not her own and she does not want to be in it. She declares it is "haunted" and that "there is something queer about it". Although she recognizes the beauty of the house and especially what surrounds it, she constantly goes back to her feeling that "there is something strange about the house". Her impression is like a foreshadowing of the transformation that takes place in her while she is there in the house. In this way the house is still the cocoon for her transformation. It does not take the form of traditional security for domestic activities of a woman, but it does allow for t

he metamorphosis of her to happen. The house and the room serve as a sort of prison that keeps her, literally, under lock and key. This prison takes away from her freedom and civil liberties.

One specific characteristic of the house that symbolizes her potential but also her trapped feelings is the window. Traditionally this symbol represents a view of possibilities, but now it also becomes a view to what she does not want to see. Through the window she sees all that she could be and everything that she could have been. But she says near the end of the story, " I don't like to look out the window even . . . there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast". She knows that she has to hide and lie low, she has to creep in order to be part of society. She does not want to see all those women who have to do the same because she knows that in her inner self these women are a reflection of her and the role she plays in society. "Most women do not creep by daylight", expresses the fact that they need to hide in the shadows, because they try to move without being seen or heard. The window is no longer a gateway for her, she can not enter to the other side of it, literally, because John will not let her, but als

Some common words found in the essay are:
Society Using, Yellow Wall-Paper, , yellow wall-paper, society women, effect oppression, women victorian, women creep, nineteenth century, trapped feelings, oppression women, complex symbols, own oppression,

Approximate Word count = 835
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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