Literary Movement: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

          “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was published in the early 1890s, during two different movements; the realism and naturalist. Although it can be debated that there is not much difference between the separate movements, “The Yellow Wallpaper” seems to fall closer to one than the other. Of the two, the feminist short story lies closer to parallel with the naturalist movement.  

The naturalist movement, beginning in the1870s and ending around the 1920s, concentrated on emphasizing that humans are unable to act according to their own free will while dwelling in a universe that uses the idea of free will as a charade. Usually these stories or novels were presented in a manner in which reality was not embellished and did not convey merely what the reader wished to read in order to maintain pleasure. Instead, the harshness of reality was depicted, often in ironic situations, and these stories were in many cases condescending or critical of society.

“The Yellow Wallpaper” does have some similarities to the realist movement, such as a very strong character with a small plot line (however due to the fact that this is a short story there was not much room for a highly developed plot) as well as a plausible story. Despite this, Gilman’s short story still seems to fall under the naturalist movement.

The narrator of the story is an ideal model for a naturalistic protagonist; one who is unable to act upon free will. After her husband John commits her to “Rest cure,” the protagonist falls under a quick decline into insanity. She is unable to act upon her small desires, such as writing or even socializing. These events are not softened in any way and the finale to the story is anything but cheerful or comforting to readers.

This short story also promoted the feminist movement, which was beginning to become more prominent in society as women began to declare their insubordination to men as unfair. The story criticized the male treatment of women, which is yet another characteristic of the naturalist movement in literature.

Works Cited

Thomas, Deborah. "The Changing Role of Womanhood: From True Woman to New Woman in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”." Http://itech.fgcu.edu. N.p., 1998. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/gilman.htm>.

Matterson, Stephen. "1890s-1920s Naturalism." Www.pbs.org. N.p., 2003. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/naturalism.html>.

Campbell, Donna M. "Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890." Http://public.wsu.edu. N.p., 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm>.