American History 19th - Essay Example

? American History 19th Final Paper Question There are a number of literary works that present a viewof the gender roles prevailing in the second half of the nineteenth century, however the two works that would be analyzed and compared for the purpose of this paper are; Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott and The Yellow Wallflower by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The question that would be evaluated in this paper is whether these literary works are in conformity regarding the presentation of the gender roles in the second half of the nineteenth century. In ‘Hospital Sketches’ the author has provided a more optimistic scenario regarding the role of women in the society. However, in ‘The Yellow Wallflower’ the author has provided a scenario which indicates the dominance of men over women in the second half of nineteenth century. Both these literary works give a contradicting view of the gender roles in the society. The ‘Hospital Sketches’ is a short account of the experiences of a woman who worked as a nurse during the Civil War. The story starts with a woman who is trying to figure out what she wants to do in her life. After turning down a number of suggestions like; teaching, writing a book, acting and getting, she finally determines to nurse the soldiers in the Civil War. This starting of the story suggests the freedom of the women to choose what they want to do in their life. The setting of the story also suggests that the decisions of the women were also encouraged. The author is strong supporter of female equality. In her journey to become a nurse, she is helped by a number of gentlemen. The story further provides the account of the author regarding learning how to nurse and the difficulties faced by the author in the process. Throughout the story, the author provides an indication of the importance of women in the society. Nursing is one of the jobs that hold significant importance in the society and it is the women who are capable of doing it the best. Thus, the author defines that nursing is one job women can do better and men cannot. The author has given a reflection on the hospital that she worked in and the doctors. The doctors required the assistance of the nurses and without the presence of nurses in the hospital, the treatment o the patients would have been much more difficult. Thus, the author defines the roles of gender in the society by providing a convincing example. Since the author supports female equality, she has provided a convincing example of how men and women can work together in society for better results. However, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is a story of a woman who is compelled to be confined within the bounds of a room and ultimately the psychological impacts of such confinement on the woman. The story provides a completely contradicting account of the gender roles in the second half of the nineteenth century when it is compared to the ‘Hospital Sketches’. The author tells the story in first-person perspective and she has written it in the style of journal entries. The story starts when a family goes to a colonial mansion for the summer and the woman who tells the story is confined in a room upstairs. Throughout the summer, she remains confined in that room with nothing to stimulate any of her feelings. The story provides a gradual account of the woman’s descent into madness. With nothing else to interact with, the woman finds interest in the yellow wallpaper of the room. She finds it unnaturally intriguing. She closely inspects the pattern of the wallpaper and she perceives it to be more than ordinary wallpaper. The woman obsessively describes the wallpaper and claims that it has a unique “yellow” smell. After observing the wallpaper for days, she perceives a figure trapped in the wallpaper. She thinks that there is woman trapped in the wallpaper and in order to free her, she starts removing the paper off the wall. From a critical perspective, it can be said that the author is trying to represent the women in the society who feel like they are confined inside the houses and they attempt to get out of their bounds. As the story unfolds further, the woman strips off all the pieces of the wallpaper and when her husband comes back and unlocks the door of the room, he finds her crawling on the floor exclaiming that she is finally free. This story can be perceived as a heavy criticism by the author on the gender roles in the society. It is clear from the story that the author is trying to indicate the undue dominance of men over women. The story also indicates the psychological impacts of such dominance over the women. Thus, it can be concluded that these two literary works do not provide a conforming perspective of the gender roles in the second half of the nineteenth century. Where one author gives an optimistic view of the circumstances where women are encouraged to work in the society, the other author provides an extremely pessimistic view where women are confined within the bounds of a house and they are not free to go out or do anything without the permission of men. Question 2 In the novel ‘Ragged Dick’, the author Horatio Alger presents a comprehensive account of the social and economic scenario prevailing in the Gilded Age. The author presents the story of the ascent of a boy from streets towards being a respectable middle-class man. The question that would be evaluated in the following analysis is whether the views expressed by the author regarding class and social mobility in the Gilded Age are valid. The author tells a story of a boy named Ragged Dick. When the story starts to unfold, Dick is fourteen years old. The author has described certain characteristics that are sure to held a man succeed in even the most difficult of circumstances through his characters. Dick is a poor buy who sleeps on the streets but he is ambitious. Dick has strong ethical values and he is famous for his honesty. Dick has strong ethics and he is a man of vision. In this manner, the author is trying to describe the characteristics than every man must have in order to succeed in life. If a man keeps his ethical values intact in all circumstances, he would be successful in pursuing his dreams. However, at certain points the claims made by the author in the story seem to be overly generalized. It is important for everyone to have strong ethical values without any doubt, but whether a person would be successful on the basis of his ethical values cannot be said for sure. There are a different results in different circumstances therefore the underlined message delivered by the author in the story cannot be applied universally and it would be valid only in given circumstances. It has also been said that the overall work by the author is not realistic and he is merely trying to teach the younger boys that having certain characteristics can help them succeed in their lives. As the story unfolds further, Dick is given a chance to serve a man named Frank as a tour guide in New York. Frank is impressed by the way Dick carries himself and Frank advises him to go to school. During the tour, the author does a lot of character development and a number of attributes of Dick’s character are disclosed. For example; Dick is accused of stealing a couple of times during the tour, but due to his confidence and honesty he is proved to be innocent at all times. The author has also hinted towards the importance of speaking up for what is true. Due to the honesty showed by Dick while performing his service as a tour guide, Mr. Whitney, Frank’s uncle, rewards Dick with a five dollar bill. Initially Dick considers the amount to be too big for the services he provided but later he is convinced by Mr. Whitney that it is a reward for his honest services and he accepts the five dollar bill. It can be said that the author has indicated the first step of Dick’s success in life at this point of the story. As it has been told that Dick received the reward due to the show of honesty while performing his services, the author is trying to impart this idea to the readers that the first step towards success in life is the honesty of a man. There have a number of factors described by the author that indicate the improving economic conditions of the era. For example; Dick is generously rewarded for his services and at one point, when Dick saves a boy from drowning, he is given a job by the father of that boy who is a wealthy industrialist. Thus, a number of people Dick comes across in his journey to become a successful person are well off. Dick introduces himself with a different, more respectable name and the job that he gets is also well-paying. Thus Dick, who is now called Richard, becomes a respectable middle class man and he is completely severed from the previous life he led. Thus, it can be concluded that the views expressed by Horatio Alger, Jr. in his novel are valid but only to an extent. There are a number of circumstances presented in the story that seem unrealistic and from a critical perspective they would appeal only a younger audience. Therefore, it can be said that the representation of the Gilded Age by the author is more realistic however the circumstances that occur in the life of the main character do not seem convincing. Works Cited Alcott, Louisa May. Hospital Sketches. Applewood Book, 1991. Print. Alger, Horatio. Ragged Dick. Henry T. Coates, 1895. Print. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. Forgotten Books, 1973. Print. Read More