Reflection paper on the The yellow wallpaper - Essay Example

Throughout the article, I figured out numerous symbols which either indicated directly or indirectly regression of the female fraternity in the early twentieth century. In overall, the entire narration of the Yellow Wallpaper conversationally symbolised factors that hindered women empowerment and equality using the house, the window and the wallpaper as the literary symbols. First, I learned from the beginning of the narrative how the protagonist was secluded in a lonely confinement. I think the confinement of the yellow wallpaper could be interpreted as economical, social and political prison that women in the twenties century were subjected to.

On the contrary, the freedom of the husband was not restricted since the husband could travel to the city for days (Gilman, 2000). The husband symbolised male members of the society and further highlighted privileges accorded to men by virtue of their sex. I further perceived the window in the room as an opportunity for the protagonist to secure her freedom. However according to Gilman (2000), the woman did not want to look through the window. The sight of other women undergoing the same challenges she was facing overwhelmed her.

After reading the article, I would have expected the house to symbolize a fortress of the protagonist as most women, contrarily, the woman loathed the house and regarded it as being “haunted.” Despite rampant evidence of condescending attitude of the man towards her wife, I was impressed by the level of caring and concern that the husband exuded as narrated by the main character. First, it emerged to me that the protagonist was aware of her husband’s affection. She says, “He is very careful and loving and hardly lets me stir without direction.

” To the woman, her matrimonial relationship with her husband represented ordinary marriages of their time. Consequently, the women reciprocated the perceived empathy of the husband by being submissive and resigning her