Women as Victims of Social Codes: Literary Analysis Essay

June 7, 2021 by Essay Writer

Updated: Jul 29th, 2020

Through literature, different situations concerning real life are explored in depth for instance marriage, oppression, love, and victimization faced by women amongst others. The evidence comes in handy in the stories Roman Fever, The Yellow Wallpaper and The Story of an Hour. Despite the evident difference of their authorship, the three masterworks present women as victims of social codes.

In the Roman Fever, the writer uses the illustration of diseases that pose threat to human life in explaining how women feel in times of difficulties particularly at the time of death when the beloved partner passes away. This in due course leaves the victim in a state of disparity with no one to clinch onto in times of need. On the other hand, in the story of The Yellow Wallpaper, the writer indicates the need for men to listen to women’s problems according to them the desired help.

Women require attention from their male counterparts, therefore, feeling loved and appreciated when men stand by them at all moments. Finally, in The Story of an Hour, the writer puts it clear that one’s social life needs clear understanding before passing judgment against the subject. In daily life, people usually come across different issues of great significance in daily lives. Therefore when sorting out such as happenings, one ought to exercise pronounced care to avoid further severe repercussions to whomever the issue concerns.

The story of Roman Fever provides a scenario of two women competing for a single man with each one of them boasting to be the real owner. The menace further extends when Mrs. Slade uses a letter to prevent Mrs. Ansley from meeting Delphin with the view that she suffers from Roman Fever (Wharton 100). The happiness of being together, feeling of love, consolation in times of disparities and many other entertainments will go by the wind for whoever will lose and hence the competition.

The outcome usually discourages the widows and can lead to deteriorations of one’s health that may at an advanced stage lead to death. This social instability at times of sorrow requires guidance to the subjects to encourage them to cope with the changed state of life by passing a message of hope. The strong support by the immediate individuals to the subject plays a significant role in offering emotional strength.

At most times, women are caught in very fixed circumstances whereby they are deprived of the freedom to choose what is right for them for instance working. The story of The Yellow Wallpaper presents a female patient who strongly feels to be unwell. However, the physicians, for instance, John’s brother advises her not to worry about the condition (Perkins 66). In that scene, the silent suffering experienced by women at the expense of their husbands affects them socially depriving them of their right to question why the afflictions (Perkins 47). Many communities regard women as inferior beings thus pay less attention to their problems.

The Story of an Hour depicts how the social codes of women are easily moved by loss of somebody they value in life with the most significant lesson cutting across the measures that women ought to take in case of an emergency. For instance, upon the death of her husband, Mrs. Mallard has to be informed of the incidence in a very careful manner due to her problem of heart disease (Chopin 3). The weight of information or an issue at hand ought to get a clear evaluation before passing through the final step. Different individuals react differently to certain issues as the case stands for Mrs. Mallard. Therefore, no loop should be skipped in assessing the individual’s strength before taking any reasonable position.

Conclusion

From the analysis of literature, different storylines pass across important information that reflects people’s ways of leaving and therefore through this individuals get to learn new things and reflect on their recent life for a better future. All of the three stories pass across the message that women should be encouraged and educated on the need to refrain from acts that are bound to make them be victims of social codes.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001.

Perkins, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper. Boston, MA: Small & Mayard, 1899.

Wharton, Edith. Roman Fever. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1934.




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