Influence of Emerson's Self-Reliance on Gilman's Yellow Wallpaper The great writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to this iron string" (p. . 1033). What a surprise it would be to discover that half a century later, this type of idea would result in growing disquiet among American women dissatisfied with their lives and their role in society - a society dominated by men with little or no no room for women outside. the house. One such writer who helped lead the battle for domestic and social reform was Charlotte Perkins Gilman. One of her most impactful works is “The Yellow Wallpaper,” intended to highlight the submissive and highly underappreciated role women played in marriages at the time. Through this work, Gilman expressed her inner frustrations with the servitude that women had to endure in their marriages during this period, and she championed her own brand of Emersonian nonconformity for women. By adopting such a profoundly bleak view of married life, Gilman hoped to inspire other women to seek new roles not only in the domestic, but also the public, arena. "Yellow Wallpaper" represents to a large extent what the feminist movement of the late 19th century was about, and by analyzing both the history and the context of its creation, it becomes evident the type of interpretation that Gilman made Emerson's work "Self". -Reliance. "Although "The Yellow Wall-Paper" focuses on a woman's sudden decline into madness, the story raises a very important question: that of the role of women not only in domestic life, but also in society . It becomes quite obvious from the first lines of the story that the wife's opinions concern her place in the mar...... middle of paper ... " written almost half a century later. early, but wanted to apply himself to women in order to achieve similar greatness through liberation. Clearly, both authors achieved their goals and became the literary founders of a new American image created in the 19th century, but which still transcends the boundaries of time today. , Paul. American Transcendentalism. New York: Capricorn Books, 1974. Emerson, Ralph Self-Reliance Ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1985. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. , 1973.------. The Life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: An Autobiography New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1935. Kasmer, Lisa “The Yellow Wallpaper” of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Symptomatic Reading. Literature and psychology. 36, (1990): 1-15.

Essay / Influence of Emerson's Self-Reliance on Gilman's Yellow Wallpaper The great writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to this iron string" (p. . 1033). What a surprise it would be to discover that half a century later, this type of idea would result in growing disquiet among American women dissatisfied with their lives and their role in society - a society dominated by men with little or no no room for women outside. the house. One such writer who helped lead the battle for domestic and social reform was Charlotte Perkins Gilman. One of her most impactful works is “The Yellow Wallpaper,” intended to highlight the submissive and highly underappreciated role women played in marriages at the time. Through this work, Gilman expressed her inner frustrations with the servitude that women had to endure in their marriages during this period, and she championed her own brand of Emersonian nonconformity for women. By adopting such a profoundly bleak view of married life, Gilman hoped to inspire other women to seek new roles not only in the domestic, but also the public, arena. "Yellow Wallpaper" represents to a large extent what the feminist movement of the late 19th century was about, and by analyzing both the history and the context of its creation, it becomes evident the type of interpretation that Gilman made Emerson's work "Self". -Reliance. "Although "The Yellow Wall-Paper" focuses on a woman's sudden decline into madness, the story raises a very important question: that of the role of women not only in domestic life, but also in society . It becomes quite obvious from the first lines of the story that the wife's opinions concern her place in the mar...... middle of paper ... " written almost half a century later. early, but wanted to apply himself to women in order to achieve similar greatness through liberation. Clearly, both authors achieved their goals and became the literary founders of a new American image created in the 19th century, but which still transcends the boundaries of time today. , Paul. American Transcendentalism. New York: Capricorn Books, 1974. Emerson, Ralph Self-Reliance Ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1985. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. , 1973.------. The Life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: An Autobiography New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1935. Kasmer, Lisa “The Yellow Wallpaper” of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Symptomatic Reading. Literature and psychology. 36, (1990): 1-15.

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