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Essay / The role of women in The Yellow... by Charlotte Perkins
It showed how men portrayed women because, traditionally, women were fragile, hysterical and vulnerable. However, women have tried to break away from these bonds; At first, Jane listened to her husband's orders, just as society wanted: stay indoors, rest, and ignore the old wallpaper. However, gradually Jane rebels against her husband and secretly begins to write observations about the wallpaper and the mess it contains. Ultimately, she confronts the wallpaper by physically ripping it off, which was the key to freedom and escaping the clutches of her husband (Perkins Stetson). Jane's absurd behavior shows readers that women also play a key role in society since they are the ones who must bear and care for children; men should at least recognize the fact that these raised children will become key figures in the future. The fact that women were not recognized and taken seriously for their roles is absurd and unfair, and is the reason why they became weird and unstable, which manifested itself mentally, emotionally, and physically. Oakley writes: “The second myth is that inequalities between men and women are only superficial imperfections…eliminated simply by cosmetic attention to the superstructure of social relations…” (Oakley 29). It's really surprising why some people think that inequality is an irrelevant concept and that it's just external flaws that women try to use as a means of sympathy. When in fact, it not only scarred the women physically, but also mentally and emotionally. For example, when Betty had lost her abilities as a housewife, which she thought she possessed only because that was what society called and expected of her. Oakley states that the true source of power that gave priority to this myth was when society created a perfect, unbreakable, structured structure.