Comparison the Chrysanthemums, And the Yellow Wallpaper Short Stories

Short Stories Comparing The Chrysanthemums And The Yellow Wallpaper

Women have always experienced subordination; during these times, they lacked the same rights as males. In this patriarchal society, women were compelled to rely entirely on males for their needs. Before the emergence of feminist movements, a number of writers from these eras used writing to express their denigration of women. These titles include “The Chrysanthemums” by Steinbeck and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman. (Gilman).

Gender Discrimination and Women’s Subordination

Women in America suffered under the then-patriarchal society prior to the feminist campaigns and the establishment of equal rights. Both tales highlight the issues of gender discrimination and women’s subordination in marriage. The stories describe the role of women in the ninth century. The Chrysanthemums, written in 1937, describes the woman Elisa working in the garden of chrysanthemums. In contrast, her husband is described to be standing next to a tractor where he is arranging the sale steers. Throughout the story, Elisa’s role in her husband’s ranch is described as that of tendering the flowers and keeping the house. She represents women in this period who were considered lesser beings as compared to men who did all the important work. When her husband comments that she might work in his orchard, she jumps to the idea by saying “maybe I could do it, too. I have a gift with things; my mother had it.” (Steinbeck 339) However, unfortunately, her husband, Henry ignores her response and continues with other conversations.

In the story, The Yellow Wallpaper, the role of women is limited while the role of men is dominant. The narrator in the story is suffering from depression, however, since her husband considers himself wise, he misjudges her illness leading to her going mad. John advises that she does little work and think less, this makes her insanely lonely, “I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus... (Gilman 992)”.

Confinement of Women in Domestic Spheres

In both “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Chrysanthemums,” women are confined to domestic spheres as prisons. Steinbeck’s Elisa feels trapped in domestic sphere that she compares herself with the chrysanthemums. When the man shows up at their ranch and starts talking about the chrysanthemums, she opens up her emotions as she feels the man is talking about her life. The tinker is a salesman, and he is quick to brag about his travels around the country. In comparison to her life, Elisa thinks that the tinker is lucky to have traveled wherever he wants. She says “I have never lived as you do, but I know what you mean” (Steinbeck 344). On the other hand, the narrator feels trapped under the control of her husband. She describes their new home as “something queer about a house so large and beautiful, yet rented to them at such a reasonable price” (Gilman). She had become accustomed to staying at home under her husband’s orders who also happens to be a doctor. The house seems queer although it is beautiful, this describes a more profound feeling of loneliness although she keeps her opinions to herself for fear of upsetting her husband and trying to keep her marriage.

Emotional Isolation and Lack of Self-Expression

Emotional isolation and lack of self-expression were typical for women in the ninth century. The belittlement of the feminine gender led to women leading miserable lives without any help from their husbands. Elisa, for instance, is described as a “thirty-five-year-old attractive, masculine lady and clear-eyed lady” (Steinbeck). She is also talented with the plants just like her mother did; however, she is not given a chance to express her skills in tending the orchard. She feels trapped in her role of a housewife and as a gardener. Elisa is frustrated by her husband’s overpowering restriction and feels oppressed. She ends up shading tears at the end of the story but does not want her husband to see her crying. The narrator, on the other hand, is forced to take a rest from active activities as a “cure” to her illness. Her husband is a doctor, and her advice, in this case, is considered professional. Despite the lady desire to go out often and be in touch with nature, she is confined to the house without any medical prescriptions. The form of cure prescribed by her husband is not effective and only contributes to making her situation even worse. The narrator laments about not being able to be with her child as it is considered an activity that will worsen her condition. She states, “such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, makes me so nervous” (Gilman 993).

Different Perspectives on Relationships

However, on the contrary, the two stories portray different perspectives about their relationships with their husbands. Elisa’s relationship with her husband is not romantic as the husband does not seem to understand her feelings. Elisa felt despised and ignored. For instance, when she tries to express her desire to be more involved in other responsibilities such as gardening, her husband ignores her. Her relationship then deteriorates with her husband. She later is described to have not been polite to her husband’s compliment of her looking nice. She responds, “what do you mean by ’nice?’” (Steinbeck 346). However, in contrast, the narrator’s relationship with her husband makes her submissive to her husband’s orders. Much of the activities that she is forced to endure are due to her fear of upsetting her husband. She is forced to stop her creative writing despite it being the only thing that gave her pleasure. She is also told to take a rest without any medical prescriptions. It may seem that her husband does not want to expose her condition to society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the short stories by John Steinbeck and Charlotte Gilman address the issues of gender discrimination and oppression of women in the nineteenth century before the equal rights movements. Some of the common themes from the two short stories include domestic sphere as a prison. Elisa and the narrator seem to be stuck in their homes despite their desire to see the world. The role of women in the 19th-century society in America considered women as lesser beings, and this also included their roles in the homes. Elisa, for instance, is not allowed to contribute to the family income by tending the orchard garden. The narrator from the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” also seems to be assigned a lesser role of not being able to determine her needs. The men in society considered wise and overpowering. However, the situation of women changed over the years with the effort from the women’s rights movements and the equal rights movements.

Works Cited

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The yellow wallpaper. Penguin UK, 2015.

Steinbeck, John. The chrysanthemums. Perfection Form Company, 1979.