Yellow Wallpaper

After reading through "The Yellow Wallpaper", I found the piece to be both unique, in a plethora of aspects, as well as entertaining to read. The selection seeks to divulge upon the hierarchal structures that were prevalant within the early twentieth century, though it is quite hidden by a story. An example of the inferior woman is denoted as John seeks to keep his wife in an environment that will be best suitable for her regeneration of health. In doing so, he deems her as more of a child, than of a wife (as was noted in class). Though the piece does remark upon this notion, I find it hard to believe that this was not the intended purpose John had in taking care of his wife. Think about it, when we take care of another person, and their ability for independence is diminished by the realities of life, they take on the needs of a child. As we can see in the story, progression was evident. With the woman's health concerns taking place over a long period of time, John's view toward her gradually went to caretaker and dependent, also known as parent and child. I do not say that to directly oppose the notion of parent and child, but I also think there is something noteworthy about this relationship that extends far past the surface. John exudes the ability of being the "protector" to his wife and child, and in doing so he provides for their needs, even if it is not displayed in a sensitive way. Moreover, this notes that the "New Woman" did not have this secure protection of that of a married woman. The "New Woman" was an independent person, but was not equipped with the proper resources to protect herself at a moments notice. This correlates to our discussion previously in the class, while also making note of the idea of marriage as portrayed through this time. I find their marriage to be quite that of a homemaker-breadwinner type relationship, but during this time, this was considered normal, whether or not it left women inferior. I have to comment that I am quite bias on this position and am seeking a future of a homemaker-breadwinner marriage, but there are some obvious differences in modern times, than in this era. First off, John went about life working to cater to the needs of his family, while all the while failing to meet their most basic need of expression. His wife was frantically trying to find a means of expression, but was hindered by her need to be overly submissive. Furthermore, John thought of his wife more as an accessory than a friend, confidant, and partner. My question is, was the woman questioning her relationship by taking down the wallpaper, or was she simply doing what 'felt' right? (Felt indicating that she did not intentionally mean to question John, but was just simply taking down the wallpaper because she wanted to).