Neal Bhatt
Engl 123
Essay # 1
6/27/10
The role of women in the Yellow Wallpaper and Hills Like White Elephants
When the muscles of male dominance began to atrophy the road to equality of women
was paved. During the 19th, century when the Yellow Wallpaper and Hills Like White Elephants
was written, the societal status quo placed men in the central light and woman in the shadows,
serving a supportive role. These two short stories illustrated the lives of two 19th century couples
and how societal norms shape their interactions. The Yellow Wallpaper and Hills Like White
Elephants depicts the status quo of 19th century women by illustrating the influential role that
male figures played in their relationships, showcasing societal representations of women as
childish and innocent, and portraying women as passive and men greedy.
Intimate male figures played an influential role in each woman’s life. The women in both
stories are compliant and submissive to their man’s demands. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the
woman disagrees with her physician-husband’s prognosis of post partum depression and his
recommended ongoing treatment of solitude and rest. She makes it clear that societal interactions
and mental stimulation would make her feel “better” but refuses to question her husband,
“Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work with
excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do? (Gilman 17)” Similarly, in the
short story, the Hills Like White Elephants, Jig’s male partner strives to force/dominate Jig’s
decision of aborting her pregnancy. The man continually influences Jig by refusing to change the
subject and talking down to her. Throughout the story, Jig tries to change the subject and stop the
conversation about the abortion but he does only when she says that if he continues, “I’ll scream
(Hemingway 152).” Additionally, the man talks down to Jig instead of telling her significant
facts and information about the procedure. He tells her 3 times that the operation is simple and
once that is it natural (Hemingway 151).” Furthermore, not only do the men dominate their
woman’s lives, but they refuses to listen to their opinions as well. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the
girl claims, “John does not know how much I suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and
that satisfies him (Gilman 18).” Additionally, Jig’s man’s intentions are clear when he says to
her, “if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But
I know it’s perfectly simple. (Hemingway 151)” The man continually reassures Jig that the
operation is “simple” and “natural” but refuses to give Jig an opportunity to voice her opinions
(Hemingway 151).
The status quo of the time, portrayed women as innocent and childish, further
complicating their status and identity. The Yellow Wallpaper portrays the sick woman in childish
ways through the actions of her husband. When the woman tried to reason with her man about
changing the wallpaper that was causing her a great amount of distress: “He took me in his arms
and called me a blessed goose,” and refused her the attention she deserved (Gillman 19). Later
on, he refers to her as a child when he says, “What is it, little girl (Gillman 23).” Similarly, every
time the woman tries to reason with her husband he passively ignores her, consequently the
woman becomes more passive to her condition and gives up reasoning with her husband: “I had
no intention of telling him it was because of the wall-paper-her would make fun of me…might
even want to take me away (Gilman 25).” Contrastingly to John portraying her wife as innocent
and childish, Jig portrays her self-innocence through curiosity and imagination. Her imagination
is brought to light when she describes the hills: “They look like white elephants,” when the man
says “I’ve never seen one,” she replies “No, you wouldn’t have (Hemingway 149).”
Furthermore, her innocence is showcased by her curiosity to try new things, including beer. Her
curiosity is captured by the line, “Everything tastes like licorice. Especially all the things you’ve
waited so long for..” her imagination is compared to that of an child, uncorrupted and innocent
(Hemingway 150).
Besides an innocent personality, societal norms are seen when the texts depict the women
as selfless and submissive the men as stubborn and greedy. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the woman
refuses to question John’s treatments and submits to him to keep him happy. In return John
shows little concern about her mental state, only her physical state. When she tries to tell John
about her mental dilemma, he refuses to listen and superficially claims she looks better, “you are
gaining flesh and color;” the woman tries to argue, “Better in body perhaps…he sat up and
looked at me with such a stern, reproachful look that I could not say another word (Gilman 23),”
but he stubbornly refuses to give her a chance. Surrendering to John she states, “It is so hard to
talk to John about my case, because he is so wise, and because he loves me so (Gilman 22).” On
the other hand, John seems to objectify his wife and his greed stands in the way of her personal
happiness. His greed is reflected from the line, “He said I was his darling and his comfort and all
he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well (Gilman 22);” John
refuses to acknowledge the happiness of his wife. Similarly, Jig shows her selflessness when she
states her opinion about the abortion: “I don’t care about me. And I’ll do it and everything will
be fine (Hemingway 151).” Both women simply want to please rather than burden their men. Jig
is forced to make a choice between the child and the man, even though the results could be
permanent: “And once they take it away, you never get it back (Hemingway 151),” she clearly
stresses the importance of the man’s happiness over hers. The man shows his greed by
continually bringing up the abortion until Jig becomes so distressed she warns him that if he
continues she will scream (Hemingway 152). The man concerned with his lifestyle: a baby
would end his traveling life and for this reason he cannot let her keep the baby.
Submitting to the desires of their men, passive to their own happiness, the main two
women characters suffered as a consequence. In the Yellow Wallpaper, since the woman was
unable to voice her feelings to John, she suffered mental paranoia and psychosis. Writing in her
journal was her way of personal expression that she could not mirror in her real life to John
because of limiting societal norms placed on women at the time. Similarly, Jig shows her
resentment and doubts about going through with the abortion but in the end she decides to submit
to her man’s choiceness as well. Would both women have been “better off” if they focused more
on their own selves?
Works Cited
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper” The Hudson Book of Fiction: 30 Stories
Worth Reading. Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 16-28.
Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants” The Hudson Book of Fiction: 30 Stories
Worth Reading. Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 149-152.