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

Gender equality has been a prevalent theme writers use to deliver their own personal views on the unrivalled-year-old-bearing(prenominal) role in society. This is the case in both Girl by Jamaica Kincaid and The white-livered Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman. Kincaid and Gillman use their works to present a libber approach on womens roles and societal standings in their respective eras. Feminism bottom of the inning be defined as a diverse collection of cordial theories, moral philosophies and political movements, fundamentally motivated by/ concerning the experiences of women. These experiences have a tendency to revolve much or less womens social, political and economic standings. As a social movement, feminism mainly focuses on close or eliminating gender inequality and promoting womens rights, interests and issue in society. Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist theory or by the government activity of feminism more broadly.Its h istory has been broad and varied. Kincaid and Gillman are two of many writers whose works adopt this criticism as a way in which to discuss their well-thought-of lives pertaining to the view and treatment of women by their societies. In the most mutual and simple terms, feminist literary criticism before the 1970s (in the first and second waves of feminism) was concerned with the politics of womens authorship and the representation of womens condition within literature, this includes the depiction of fictional female characters. The pay off or in this case the mystify of feminist literary criticism, is Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. Jane Eyre follows the emotions and experiences of its eponymic character, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester. The novel contains elements of social criticism, with a resilient sense of morality at its core, but is nonetheless a novel many consider ahead of its time given the individualistic character of J ane and the novels exploration of classism, sexuality, religion and feminism.In its internalization of the action, the story revolves around the gradational unfolding of Janes moral and spiritual awareness and all 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 toffee-nosed 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 tungsten Indies, but changed hername when she started writing because her family disliked her career choice. Her simple change of her name and having to operate infra an alias provides and insight to Kincaids life. 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 junction and Richardsons familys disapproval of her career cho ice, proposes the idea that society were still non comfortable with the new found voice women had.Jamaica Kincaids Girl can be analyzed from a Feminist spot like Jane Eyre as it also revolves around a young misfires interaction with her m another(prenominal). Upon at hand(predicate) examination, the reader sees that the text is a string of images that are the cultural practices and moral principles that a Caribbean woman is extremely along to her young daughter. Jamaica Kincaid has taken frequent advice that daughters are constantly hearing from their mothers and tied them into a serial of commands that a mother uses to prevent her daughter from turning into the slut that she is so bent on fit (Kincaid 23). But they are more than commands the phrases are a mothers way of insuring that her daughter has the tools that she needfully to survive as an adult. The fact that the mother takes the time to train the daughter in the proper ways for a lady to act in their culture is i ndicative of their familial love the fact that at that place are so many rules and moral principles that are being passed to the daughter indicates that mother and daughter reach a lot of time together.The story is written in the second person eyeshade of view, in which the reader is the miss and the speaker (perceived to be her mother) is passing on her interpretation as to what a girl should be. Jeanette Martinez, an English Literature major studying at NYE notes in a paper Analyzing Girl from a feminist perspective the diction degrades women the word slut is utilize 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 attached dra ws attention to women being seen 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 purely on the supposition of sexual immorality, takes respect away from women as their moral fiber is not taken into consideration. Martinez then restitution to discuss how the tone and style of the text can be seen as being reflective of Kincaids own social stand point. Martinez states, The tone is commanding we see a repetitive this is how throughout the petty story. The style of the short story is in lines, which allows each line to be a command. For example This is how you grimace to someone you beart 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, frizzy manner in which Kincaid decides to communicate the life instructions, is representative of the voic e of society and the harsh ways in which it tries to control and impart wisdom/ teachings. The final paragraph is integral to understanding this story from a feminist perspective. Kincaid states But what if the baker wont let me feel the bread? you mean to say that afterwards all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker wont let near the bread?. This interaction is essential to understanding and indicating Kincaids start outs to comment on her society. This evoke 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 order women and girls alike to act a certain way without giving them the strength to benefit these de cisions 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 immature treatment of the main character, who remains nameless in the text. To the routine reader, the story is one of a good-meaning, but oppressive husband who drives his wife mad in an attempt to help her, but it story illustrates how established procedures of behavior 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 practice 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 agenda 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. Knowing that Gilman was a controversial figure for her day, and after reading her other works, it is easy to see more of her feminist suggestions in The Yellow Wallpaper. She carefully crafted her sentences and metaphors to instill a externalize of vivid and disturbing male oppression. Her descriptions of the house recall a past era she refers to it as an genetic hall (Gillman 648) and goes on to give a gothic description of the estate. She falls just short of set the scene for a ghost story.The reference to old things and the past can be seen as a reference to out-dated practices and trea tment 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 represented in literature. A feminist text states the authors agenda for women in society as they relate to oppression by a male-controlled power complex body part 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.