Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Escaping the Sentence

UNCP Author/Contributor (non-UNCP co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
D. Sue Newcomb Fidler (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP )
Web Site: http://www.uncp.edu/academics/library
Advisor
Nancy Warner Barrineau

Abstract: Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was a turn-of-the-century feminist who gained a worldwide reputation as a writer and a speaker. She also wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper," a short story reflecting her experiences with her husband and doctor during a nervous breakdown, in 1891. This story reflects her struggles to find her identity in three areas: as a wife of a benevolent, if suffocating, husband; as a patient of a prominent "nerve specialist:" and as a feminist. Written shortly after Gilman left her husband, the story details the descent into madness of a woman who, unlike the author, follow her doctor-husband's illness and resultant madness as a logical result of the stringent conditions in which society has placed her. It is possible to see the story as a reflection of the struggles Gilman endured while trying to save herself. Shortly before her death, Gilman wrote "The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: An Autobiography". In this book she details the actual events surrounding her breakdown, her encounter with a "nerve specialist," and her failed first marriage. Although she broke away from her doctor's treatment before breakdown occurred, she indicates that as a result of depression and lassitude for the rest of her life. It is possible to determine whether in fact Gilman was the victim some claim she was, or a strong survivor by using Paula Treichler's linguistic terminology. "Women's language" describes the obsequious, deferential attitude taken by a victim; "women's discourse" is spoken by a stronger woman who remains unintimidated by the male "prescription" (Treichler 67). While Gilman used both women's language and women's discourse, she proved, considering her background and the constrictions placed upon women in her time, survivor.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1992
Keywords
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper, Depression, Nerve Specialist, Paula Treichler, Linguistic Terminology, Women's Language, Victim, Survivor, Nervous Breakdown,

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