Feminism present in “The Yellow Wall Paper” & “Girl” Essay

sexual activity equality has been a prevalent theme writers drug abuse to deliver their own personal views on the female role in society. This is the case in both Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and The Yellow cover by Charlotte Perkins Gillman. Kincaid and Gillman use their works to present a feminist set out on womens roles and societal standings in their respective eras. Feminism coffin nail be defined as a diverse collection of mixer theories, honorable philosophies and political movements, fundament exclusivelyy motivated by/ concerning the experiences of women. These experiences have a tendency to revolve close to womens social, political and economic standings. As a social movement, feminism mainly focuses on limiting or eliminating gender inequality and promoting womens rights, interests and issue in society. Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist scheme or by the authorities of feminism more large-mindedly.Its hi news report has been broa d and varied. Kincaid and Gillman are two of legion(predicate) writers whose works adopt this criticism as a way in which to prove their respected lives pertaining to the view and handling of women by their societies. In the most commonalty and simple terms, feminist literary criticism before the 1970s (in the first and back up waves of feminism) was concerned with the politics of womens authorship and the representation of womens condition within literature, this includes the characterisation of fictional female characters. The father or in this case the overprotect of feminist literary criticism, is Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. Jane Eyre follows the emotions and experiences of its eponymous character, including her egression to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester. The raw contains elements of social criticism, with a resilient backbone of righteousity at its core, but is nonetheless a novel galore(postnominal) consider ahead of its time given the individualistic character of Jane and the novels exploration of classism, sexuality, religion and feminism.In its internalization of the action, the news report revolves around the gradual unfolding of Janes moral and spiritual awareness and every events are colored by a heightened intensity that were previously confined to poetry. Brontes story allows her to be labeled the first historian of the semiprivate consciousness and the literary ancestor of Jamaica Kincaid. Jamaica Kincaid-Girl Jamaica Kincaid was born Elaine Potter Richardson in 1949 in Antigua, in the British West Indies, but changed hername when she started writing because her family dis homogeneousd her career choice. Her simple change of her name and having to operate under an false name provides and insight to Kincaids conduct. Her family disliking her choice of career gives a suggestion to the societal perception of a womans role. Women in society in the 1970s were only beginning to find their voice and Rich ardsons familys disapproval of her career choice, proposes the idea that society were still not golden with the newly found voice women had.Jamaica Kincaids Girl can be analyzed from a Feminist perspective like Jane Eyre as it also revolves around a young young ladys interaction with her mother. Upon hand-to-hand examination, the lecturer recognises that the text is a string of images that are the cultural practices and moral principles that a Caribbean woman is passing along to her young young woman. Jamaica Kincaid has taken common advice that daughters are constantly hearing from their mothers and tied them into a series of commands that a mother uses to prevent her daughter from turning into the trollop that she is so out to(p) on becoming (Kincaid 23). But they are more than commands the phrases are a mothers way of insuring that her daughter has the tools that she needs to survive as an adult. The fact that the mother takes the time to train the daughter in the victo rian slipway for a lady to act in their culture is revelatory of their familial love the fact that there are so many rules and moral principles that are being passed to the daughter indicates that mother and daughter overhaul a lot of time together.The story is written in the second person point of view, in which the reader is the fille and the speaker (perceived to be her mother) is passing on her interpretation as to what a young woman should be. Jeanette Martinez, an face Literature major studying at NYE notes in a radical Analyzing Girl from a feminist perspective the diction degrades women the forge slut is used to describe a girl that does not conduct herself like a proper lady. This is an interesting way in which to observe the diction used by Kincaid. The term slut is used as a negative comparison in which the mother in the story fears her daughter will become. Kincaid using the term slut takes a step in the wrong direction where feminism is concerned. The inclusion of the word and the sexual connotations disposed draws attention to women being trancen as depraved of morals if they are promiscuous.This word takes attention away from the real message and goal of feminism equality amongst men and women. Reducing a woman to beingdebauched stringently on the premise of sexual immorality, takes respect away from women as their moral fiber is not taken into consideration. Martinez then proceeds to discuss how the lineament and style of the text can be seen as being contemplative of Kincaids own social stand point. Martinez states, The tone is commanding we see a repetitive this is how without the presently story. The style of the short story is in lines, which allows each line to be a command. For example This is how you grinning to someone you dont like too much This is how you smile at someone you dont like at allThis is how you smile to someone you like completely (Kincaid 24). The tone and short, sharp personal manner in which Kincaid de cides to communicate the life instructions, is representative of the voice of society and the tart ways in which it tries to control and impart wisdom/ teachings. The final split up is integral to understanding this story from a feminist perspective. Kincaid states But what if the loot maker wont let me feel the bread? you mean to check out that after all you are really going to be the harming of woman who the baker wont let near the bread?. This interaction is essential to understanding and indicating Kincaids attempts to comment on her society. This withdraw can be interpreted as the mother challenging the girls morals. Kincaid uses this instead, to challenge the girls strength as a person. It is seemingly ironic that a mother has harshly demanded the young girl to learn all the mothers habits and methods, not giving the girl much of a word in any of her decisions.This is Kincaids ways to speak directly to her audience and say how can the voices of society range women and girls alike to act a certain way without giving them the strength to make these decisions themselves? Kincaid ultimately uses her story to tell women strength is learned through experience, not instruction. The Yellow Wallpaper The Yellow Wallpaper is a feminist text, telling a story about a womans struggles against male-centric thinking and societal norms. The text may be unclear to the reader who is unfamiliar with Gilmans politics and personal biography, yet, it impresses any reader with the juvenile treatment of the main character, who remains nameless in the text. To the casual reader, the story is one of a good-meaning, but oppressive husband who drives his wife nauseated in an attempt to help her, but it story illustrates how established procedures of bearing could have distressing effects on thewomen of Gilmans time, regardless of the intentions of the source.By late 20th century standards, the behavior of John, the husband, seems unnervingly inappropriate and restrictive , but was considered quite a normal in the 19th century. After learning of Gilmans life, and by reading her commentary and other works, one can readily see that The Yellow Wallpaper has a definite docket in its quasi-autobiographical style. As revealed in Elaine Hedges forward from the Heath Anthology of American Literature, Gilman had a distressed life because of the choices she had made which disrupted common conventionsfrom her abandonment of her child to her amicable divorce. astute that Gilman was a controversial figure for her day, and after reading her other works, it is wakeful to see more of her feminist suggestions in The Yellow Wallpaper. She carefully crafted her sentences and metaphors to instill a picture of vivid and disturbing male oppression. Her descriptions of the house abjure a ultimo era she refers to it as an ancestral hall (Gillman 648) and goes on to give a gothic description of the estate. She falls just short of setting the scene for a ghost story.Th e reference to old things and the past can be seen as a reference to out-dated practices and treatment of women, as she considers the future to hold more equality. By setting the story in this tone, Gilman alludes to practices of oppression that, in her mind, should be relegated to the past. Charlotte Gillmans The Yellow Wallpaper and Jamaica Kincaids Girl are both great examples of feminism being delineate in literature. A feminist text states the authors agenda for women in society as they relate to oppression by a male-controlled power structure and the consequent creation of social standards and protocols. Kincaid and Gillmans tales respectively, are outstanding examples of this and are great tales in which the writers point out deficiencies in society regarding equal opportunity. Both texts are used by the writers to discuss their respected lives pertaining to the view and treatment of women by their societies.