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The Themes Of Oppression In Hawthorne's The Yellow Wallpaper

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Being in an unhealthy relationship is something women nowadays are not obligated to put up with. If they ever feel that their husband is not treating them good; they have the right to ask for a divorce. Otherwise, they could end up with mental problems or death. Back in the nineteenth century, divorce was not an option for women. Females were forced to stay with their husband whether they were treated right or not. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” were both written back in the nineteenth century and have characteristics of the way relationships used to be back then. "The Yellow Wallpaper" addresses the theme of women’s oppression through disregard and isolation, but "The Birthmark" presents the theme of women’s oppression through perfectionism and jealousy. …show more content…

Jane tells John, her husband, what she is feeling, but he does not listen to her and assumes everything is fine ( Gilman 527). John decides to ignore her feelings instead of trying to help her; this suggests that their relationship is not healthy. According to Suess, Jane also has an unhealthy relationship with the medical language. One of the reasons she feels this way is because according to doctors, there is nothing wrong with her health. Mental problems, such as depression, are issues men in the nineteenth century do not seem to be aware of (Suess). Jane being ignored is a reason why she has some mental issues. She feels ashamed of what she is feeling and society makes it hard for her to want to talk about this with anyone. Not being able to talk about it, causes Jane’s depression to get worse with

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