From her early adulthood, Charlotte Perkins Gilman had suffered from periodic illness of melancholy, and after the birth of their daughter Katharine, she fell into depression. Gilman began treatment with Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell in 1886. His recommendations were "live as domestic a life as possible" and "never touch a pen, brush or pencil as long as you live" (http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi). However, it was quite the opposite with men. When they were depressed they were told that they should take a vacation away from home. The irony here is that woman would feel more depressed when they are stuck at home doing chores. According to Gilman, male aggressiveness and maternal roles of women are artificial and not necessary for survival any more. "There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. As well speak of a female liver." (from Woman and Economics, 1898). So how can the doctor recommend that she “live as domestic as possible?” Why should the woman be forced to stay home? Would this kind of domestic life make her happy? These are the sorts of questions Gilman acknowledges in her poem “To the Young Wife.” She uses imagery, symbolism, and rhetorical questions to demonstrate how the young woman is condemned to be a housewife.
The young wife is symbolized as a doll because she is controlled by her husband. For example, “the pretty three years’ wife” is living on what her loving husband loves to give and she must give him her life” ( lines 1-4). Since she is not independent, he holds all the power in the relationship. And that is really why she cannot support herself. It is like ken supporting Barbie. By giving her life to her husband she must do what he wants her to do. She is expected “ to toil alone… to clean things dirty and to soil things clean; To be a kitchen-maid” (lines 1-3). She is a female so it means that her job is to stay at home and take care of the house while her husband is gone. She is faced with isolation because she has no voice at all. She is “trapped in selfish, slavish service hour by hour -- A life with no beyond!” ( lines 39-40). Without any knowledge or education she doesn’t have much choice, she must work like a slave, without anything further beyond. The poor woman doesn’t know what she is capable of thus, her brain is just a waste. She’s not a real person; she is nothing but a doll. Looking pretty and acting a certain way is more important than her personality.
Furthermore, the author also uses negative imagery by depicting the woman’s house as a doll house. The young female lives in “a wooden palace and a yard-fenced land -- With other queens abundant on each hand… each fastened in her place” (lines10-12). The wooden palace and yard-fenced land resembles a doll house. She lives in a rich mansion like any “Barbie” because of “ken’s” money. The fact that she is fastened into place makes us realize how much of a doll she really is. Against her will, she is chained to her “throne”, held back by her “antique labours and paltry queenship in that narrow place. It is her restricted space” (lines 33-35). The doll house represents her home in which she spends most of her life. Her throne is her kitchen because most of her time is spent there. The kitchen is the place where she belongs; it is restricted for her and no one else. She has nothing to look forward to but the same routine over and over. As a person she will never grow. As a doll she stays the same. The author is trying to make the girl realize something.
Thus said, The author uses rhetorical questions to establish that a house wife life is not the life to lead. For instance, The young wife “loses no love, but finds as she grew that she entered upon a nobler life and became a richer, sweeter wife… is she a wiser mother too?” (lines 29-32). she doesn’t need any knowledge because her husband will always love and support her since she does what is expected of her. The point is
when he stops loving her, he may leave her and she’ll have nothing left of herself and her life because she has the skills of a nurturing mother, but not a self-supporting woman.
As a result, how can she “rear her children if she is untaught herself, untrained, perplexed, and distressed?” ( lines 13-14). She isn’t smart so she cannot educate her children for the real world. Consequently, children are influenced on how to act by what they see at home. To educate the children’s means that the father would have to actually stay at home and he would never do that. His place is not in the home. As one can see living at home is not a desirable dream. To realize this the girl must ask herself how she will stay content when she has “has no dream of life in fuller store…of growing to be more than that she is…doing the things she knows better far, yet doing others more” (lines 25-28). She Is confined to be a housewife her whole life and is a slave to her husband forever. Without any knowledge she will never be free. If she was knowledgeable she would be capable of so much more; she can help herself and then spread her knowledge to help others even more. Unfortunately, culture and not heredity has forced women to be dependent on men. In addition, woman should be independent because in reality they are alone. One enters this world alone and one also dies alone. One’s life is their own.
Overall, symbolism, imagery, and a series of rhetorical questions establish that the young wife is condemned to be a housewife because she is a doll living in a doll house. she symbolizes a doll because she is trapped in conformity. She has no freedom to do what ever she wants; like a doll she is controlled by her husband. And as a doll she must live in her “doll” house because she is not capable of supporting herself, since her husband is the one that works outside of the home. In the end she is too dependent on her husband, and so she leads no life of her own. She must ask herself is she really happy since “she has no life beyond!” This woman, without a man she is nothing.
The young wife is symbolized as a doll because she is controlled by her husband. For example, “the pretty three years’ wife” is living on what her loving husband loves to give and she must give him her life” ( lines 1-4). Since she is not independent, he holds all the power in the relationship. And that is really why she cannot support herself. It is like ken supporting Barbie. By giving her life to her husband she must do what he wants her to do. She is expected “ to toil alone… to clean things dirty and to soil things clean; To be a kitchen-maid” (lines 1-3). She is a female so it means that her job is to stay at home and take care of the house while her husband is gone. She is faced with isolation because she has no voice at all. She is “trapped in selfish, slavish service hour by hour -- A life with no beyond!” ( lines 39-40). Without any knowledge or education she doesn’t have much choice, she must work like a slave, without anything further beyond. The poor woman doesn’t know what she is capable of thus, her brain is just a waste. She’s not a real person; she is nothing but a doll. Looking pretty and acting a certain way is more important than her personality.
Furthermore, the author also uses negative imagery by depicting the woman’s house as a doll house. The young female lives in “a wooden palace and a yard-fenced land -- With other queens abundant on each hand… each fastened in her place” (lines10-12). The wooden palace and yard-fenced land resembles a doll house. She lives in a rich mansion like any “Barbie” because of “ken’s” money. The fact that she is fastened into place makes us realize how much of a doll she really is. Against her will, she is chained to her “throne”, held back by her “antique labours and paltry queenship in that narrow place. It is her restricted space” (lines 33-35). The doll house represents her home in which she spends most of her life. Her throne is her kitchen because most of her time is spent there. The kitchen is the place where she belongs; it is restricted for her and no one else. She has nothing to look forward to but the same routine over and over. As a person she will never grow. As a doll she stays the same. The author is trying to make the girl realize something.
Thus said, The author uses rhetorical questions to establish that a house wife life is not the life to lead. For instance, The young wife “loses no love, but finds as she grew that she entered upon a nobler life and became a richer, sweeter wife… is she a wiser mother too?” (lines 29-32). she doesn’t need any knowledge because her husband will always love and support her since she does what is expected of her. The point is
when he stops loving her, he may leave her and she’ll have nothing left of herself and her life because she has the skills of a nurturing mother, but not a self-supporting woman.
As a result, how can she “rear her children if she is untaught herself, untrained, perplexed, and distressed?” ( lines 13-14). She isn’t smart so she cannot educate her children for the real world. Consequently, children are influenced on how to act by what they see at home. To educate the children’s means that the father would have to actually stay at home and he would never do that. His place is not in the home. As one can see living at home is not a desirable dream. To realize this the girl must ask herself how she will stay content when she has “has no dream of life in fuller store…of growing to be more than that she is…doing the things she knows better far, yet doing others more” (lines 25-28). She Is confined to be a housewife her whole life and is a slave to her husband forever. Without any knowledge she will never be free. If she was knowledgeable she would be capable of so much more; she can help herself and then spread her knowledge to help others even more. Unfortunately, culture and not heredity has forced women to be dependent on men. In addition, woman should be independent because in reality they are alone. One enters this world alone and one also dies alone. One’s life is their own.
Overall, symbolism, imagery, and a series of rhetorical questions establish that the young wife is condemned to be a housewife because she is a doll living in a doll house. she symbolizes a doll because she is trapped in conformity. She has no freedom to do what ever she wants; like a doll she is controlled by her husband. And as a doll she must live in her “doll” house because she is not capable of supporting herself, since her husband is the one that works outside of the home. In the end she is too dependent on her husband, and so she leads no life of her own. She must ask herself is she really happy since “she has no life beyond!” This woman, without a man she is nothing.
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