Maeve Hammond -- Digital Essay

The Yellow
Wallpaper by
Charlotte Perkins
Gillman
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
Kathleen Herron -- Artwork of the scene from
The Yellow Wallpaper, in which Jane believes
she herself is the woman trapped behind the
wallpaper. This symbolizes her "final breaking
point" regarding her sanity and individualism.
Link is in the picture.
Maeve Hammond
AP Literature and Composition
Mrs. Rutan
24 March 2014
Control (and a lack-thereof) Presented in Anti-Feminist Literature
Introduction: How The Yellow Wallpaper and The Handmaids Tale Are Related to Control
Relationships can be defined by control: an encounter between two people kicks animalism into overdrive,
and the fight to be the alpha over someones beta commences. However, sometimes the dominant and
inferior roles of a relationship can be predetermined even before a relationship begins. In two control-
based pieces of literature, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Handmaids Tale
by Margaret Atwood , female protagonists Jane and Offred, respectively, portray controland a lack-
thereofin their lives. Both characters are predisposed to subordination solely based on their gender. Both
pieces of literature are set an anti-feminist societal period, in which equality between sexes does not
prevail; in effect, men domineer women in every relationship. However, Perkins Gillman and Atwood
present their literature cautionary tales regarding patriarchal control through examples of oppression,
gender roles, and rebellion.
The Yellow Wallpaper: Limited Controls Correlation to Mental Health/Deterioration
In The Yellow Wallpaper , author Charlotte Perkins Gillman stresses
the idea
that a lack of control and expression incites mental deterioration.
After protagonist Janes husband, John, sees her behavior of
temporary nervous depression (Perkins Gillman, 1) as societally
unacceptable, he declares himself Jane's absolute caretaker to
monitor and order every aspect of her life. Subsequently, he enforces Janes treatment by forbidding
her to work, prohibiting expression through writing, and locking her away from society and her own
autonomy in a childs nursery where the windows are barred (Perkins Gillman 2). Additionally, John
barricades Jane from her newborn child, causing her development of nervous troubles (Perkins
Gillman, 2) that resemble postpartum depression. Jane's isolation from society makes her feel dreadfully
depress[ed] (Perkins Gillman, 2) and provokes suicidal thoughts (Perkins Gillman, 2). She even says life
without control slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you! like a bad dream
(Perkins Gillman, 6). Jane lost her sanity after she began to hallucinate a faint figure behind [the
wallpaper that] seemed to shake the pattern, just as if she wanted to get out (Perkins Gillman, 5). At the
end of The Yellow Wallpaper, Jane convinces herself she actually is the woman behind the wallpaper, as
she succumbs to her overruling mental disorderand her husbandand realizes the figures entrapment
has paralleled her own life and relationship with John.
The Handmaids Tale: Patriarchal Control Reflects Mixing Government and Religion
Patriarchal control is also demonstrated in The Handmaids Tale ; however, author Margaret Atwood moves away from The Yellow
Wallpapers dominance of men in one relationship to implementing this dystopian idea throughout an entire culture. A womans worth in The
Handmaids Tale's setting, Gilead, is based on fertility, socioeconomic class, and virtuousness as decided by the ideals of ultra-conservative
Protestant Christianity. Theocratic leaders in Gilead determine what women wear, how they act, and with whom they have children.
The government recruits Offred to be a Handmaid, or a two-legged womb (Atwood, 136) forced to procreate with a Commander, a highly
ranked man in society. Women are extremely devalued and seen as walking containers [with] only the insides of [their] bodies that are
Sarai Offering Hagar to Abram by Matthais Stomer (link
included in the picture). A biblical scene from Genesis 16
depicts wife Sarai offering her husband Abram's
handmaid, Hagar, to have children with him since she no
longer can. This scene parallels Offred's situation, as
she is forced--like Hagar--to have children with an older,
highly-ranked man.
Pharaoh's Handmaidens by John Collier, 1883.
This represents handmaidens during ancient
Egypt and the escorts and waitresses at
Jezebel's.
Artwork portrays thoughts of rebellion that
occupy Offred's head. She thinks of the
daughter that was taken from her, sexual
liberation, and basic freedom (like being able
to hold a knife). The "Mayday" Operation
stems from the french conjugation "m'aidez",
important (Atwood, 96). Colloquial in The Handmaids Tale
helps to establish the subjectivity Gileads women endure, as
the word handmaid in the Bible refers to a female slave
that demonstrates self-depreciation in the presence of great
men (Handmaid, n.d.). Offred isnt allowed to own
property, work outside of the home, refuse anything men say,
or even readAtwood uses satirical tone to say a book is
an incendiary device: who knows what wed make of it, if we
[women] ever got our hands on it? (Atwood, 87) Atwoods
reason for this extreme form of patriarchal control is to portray how detrimental mixing religion
with government can be: by picking-and-choosing archaic and misinterpreted rules about
womens servility and submissiveness towards their husbands, equality for all people cannot
occur.
The Yellow Wallpaper and The Handmaids Tale: Using Control to Enforce Stereotypical
Gender Roles
Both authors of these anti-feminist pieces of literature stress that extreme degrees of control between
men and women correlate to the enforcement of stereotypical gender roles. Jane and Offred are
placed into one vague category of women, instead of being considered for who they really are:
individual human beings. For example, Janes depression is dismissed solely because she is a
woman. John thinks Janes mental instability is caused by a slight hysterical tendency (Perkins
Gillman, 1); blatantly put, Johns connotation of depressive behavior is linked directly to the female
gender, as hysteria stems from the word uterus (Traniello, n.d.). Additionally, Offred is a subject of
objectification, even during the rebellion of Gileads men. Higher ranking men let off steam by
attending a Jezebels, a prohibited club, in which non-Handmaid women are their waitresses and
prostitutes. The men act as if the club is liberation for both men and women; however, it actually
objectifies women, as they are forced to wear skimpy outfits, super high-heels, and be escorts. When
Offreds Commander takes her to Jezebels, he is showing [her] off (Atwood, 236) to the other men at
the club to review [her] breasts, [her] legs, as if theres no reason why they shouldnt (Atwood, 236).
Offred is not a personshe is a prize.
The Yellow Wallpaper and The Handmaids Tale: Subjection Leads to Rebellion and Resistance
Perkins Gillman and Atwood also emphasize what can occur when there is inequality and an
immurement
of independence: rebellion and resistance. In The Yellow
Wallpaper, Jane makes small defiance against the tyranny of her
husband: when John is away all day! there is nothing to hinder [her from] writing (Perkins Gillman, 2),
and she often runs out of her room to walk along a long road under the trees, creeping along, and when a
carriage comes along she hides under the blackberry vines (Perkins Gillman, 8). Janes small dosage of
freedom makes her realize how dictating John really is and how he pretended to be very loving and
kind! as if [she] couldnt see through him (Perkins Gillman, 8). In effect, the marriage between Jane and
John promptly desecrates as consequence to Janes rebellion. In The Handmaids Tale, Offred encounters
the Mayday (Attwood, 202) organization, which builds resistance against Gileads theocracy to help
women escape their lives as Handmaids along the Underground Female Road (Attwood, 301). However,
Attwood describes the repercussions rebellion can lead to: people who are caught breaking theocratic
rules set in society are hanged or taken captive.
Conclusion: Both Excess and Limited Amounts of Control Are Detrimental to Society
Both excess and limited amounts of control are detrimental to society.
Democracy regarding government or interpersonal relationships is not
presented in either of these pieces of literature. Anti-feminist literature is not
Discuss
which means "help me". Link is included in
picture.
Ending gender specific control will
better society as a whole.
only a representation of inequality between sexes, but also symbolic of other
forms of discrimination that are still prevalent in society. The Yellow
Wallpaper and The Handmaids Tale serve as warnings for future generations if the acceptance of inequality still
prevails: with excess control, there is always repression and resistance.
Works Cited:
AP Lit Vocab: Hammond, Maeve. "Essential AP Vocabulary & Their Definitions - Maeve Hammond." Maeve Hammond. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
<http://maevehchs.weebly.com/essential-ap-vocabulary--their-definitions.html >.
Biography of Charlotte Perkins-Gillman: "Charlotte Perkins Gilman Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.biography.com/people/charlotte-perkins-gilman-9311669 >.
Biography of Margaret Atwood: "Margaret Atwood." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/margaret-atwood >.
Book Cover The Handmaid's Tale: "Nothing but Reading Challenges discussion." Nothing but Reading Challenges. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1689694-the-handmaid-s-tale-by-margaret-atwood---start-date-march-22-march-201 >.
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Mar. 2014. <http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/2012/09/yellow-wall-paper.html >.
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<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/charlotte_perkins_gilman.html >.
Handmaid Definition in Bible: "Handmaid." BibleStudyTools.com. Bible Study Tools, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/handmaid/ >.
Handmaid Painting: Wecker, Menachem. "3 Religion Trends at the European Fine Art Fair." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Mar. 2012. Web.
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v=H10xTCYiKQo >.
M'aidez artwork: "Anti-Transcendentalism in "The Handmaid's Tale"." Original Art Piece -. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
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<http://parrishco.com/academic/a-literary-analysis-of-the-yellow-wallpaper/ >.
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Your argument was brilliant, but I really enjoyed your extended resources--like your videos and the pictures--that
you added to this as well. It really made the essay even richer and I plan on stealing several of these resources to
teach with next semester! Bravo!
Amazing links and resources
ARutan (https://www.wikispaces.com/user/view/ARutan) May 5, 2014
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