Characterization of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Desirees Baby

Characterization of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Desirees infant There was a fourth dimension (not so long ago) when a mans transcendence and authority wasnt a question, but an accepted truth. In the two go most stories, Desirees Baby, and The Yellow Wallpaper, women are portrayed as infirm 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 submissionalone, a woman is nothing. The setting of or so(prenominal) stories reinforces the notion of womens dependence on men. The late 1800s were a turbulent time for womens roles. The turn of the century brought about revolution, fueled by the energy and independence 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 that 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 field and a bayou, isolating its inhabitants from the world. The narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper tells us, Out of one windowpane I can see a gardenout of another(prenominal) I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf (161). They are out in the country, where the advanced(a) city cant touch them, or begin to mold their sexist slipway and old fashioned ideals into contemporary mindsets. This seclusion also ensures that no international 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 thought this way. However, its even sadder to think that some still do. Women everywhere suffer abuse, mental or other wise, at the custody or their (pri)mates every day. They must find the strength in themselves and the dominance 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 make 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. full treatment CitedChopin, Kate. Dsires Baby. 1893. 8 Apr. 2003Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. 1892. The New England Magazine. Reprinted in Lives & Moments - An Introduction to Short Fiction by Hans Ostrom. Hold,Orlando, FL 1991.