Feminism today is seen to be much different than it was in the nineteenth century.  When Gilman wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper", feminists were dealing with oppression from every man in their lives, from their doctors to their husbands.  Gilman saw a large lapse in the way women were being treated for clinical diseases (depression, in her case), compared to men.  Gilman considered the social norms irrational and believed the oppression from her doctor caused her to go deeper into insanity.  Historical information on how feminists began to develop enhances readers' understanding of what Gilman was going through at that time in her life. Gilman uses a variety of metaphors and other allusions regarding the oppression of females during the 19th century that are better understood after the works of Ames, DuBois, and Hughes are read.

William Ames, writer of the article "On Feminism and the 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Gilman", finds Gilman's writing to exemplify the protocol of the time for diagnosing and treating women to have some devastating effects (Ames).  Ames talks a great deal about how Gilman has numerous metaphors in her writing that alludes to the direct oppression women face in the home with their husband.  He points out how different aspects in her writing represent some of the struggles women went through in that time period that feminists were trying to fight against.  For example, he points out how the pattern of the wallpaper looked different to the narrator in different lighting.  Ames says how this could represent different discriminatory acts that women faced that were only noticed in "certain times and under certain conditions" (Ames).  He always does a good deal of pointing out how the sentence structure and metaphors Gilman uses creates a creepy male character that oppresses the narrator quite a bit.  The feminists of the nineteenth century thought that the men could not help them gain equality and fair treatment; that it was only them that could gain it for themselves.  

Ellen DuBois goes into detail about how the feminists flourished in the nineteenth century in the article "Feminism Old Wave and New Wave".  DuBois' points made a strong basis for how the feminist movement began.  DuBois goes back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, when feminists were just beginning to take their stance on fair treatment for women.  From unfair working situations to the 14th amendment, feminists in the nineteenth century decided that male reformers were not enough to help them gain the equality they deserved.  DuBois describes how the first big wave of feminism began when they started to take a stand for abolition.  This was the first big issue that women banded together for, and this made them realize that men were really the only ones who stood up and took a stance against a political idea.  Women in this time period believed that men had "decision-making and public acknowledgement" reserved just for them (DuBois).  When realizing this, women began to think for themselves.  As DuBois points out, women were banned from an anti-slavery convention in London.  Some men protested, but most didn't even bother to see the discrimination that had just happened.  This scenario started the tidal wave.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were banned from this convention, and from there the two met and decided that the oppression women were experiencing all over the world-needed attention. This was not the first time a woman had felt this way and tried to express it, and it is interesting to see the different ways feminists have tried to express oppression through out the centuries.  After reading DuBois' historical information, my understanding of Gilman's points through the metaphors she used in "The Yellow Wallpaper" was clearer.  Historical background enhanced the ability to relate to Gilman.  A reader could connect himself or herself to Gilman through the use of historical information, even if the reader hadn't experienced oppression personally.  The oppression was also more applicable to Gilman since I know had a historical account of different situations women were going through.

Kathryn Hughes expands on the idea of the different gender roles that were expressed in that time in her article "Gender Roles in the 19th Century".  The standards for men and women were set in different spheres and based on their characteristics (Hughes).  As Hughes points out in her article, the gender roles became the most defined during the 19th century.  Women had worked along side their husbands and brothers before, but as the nineteenth century progressed; men began to work away from the home and away from the women.  The only place a woman seemed to belong was the home, and that's where people began to think one should stay.  Husbands were telling their wives that learning too much could cause them harm, and that they were meant to have the greatest influence in the home (Hughes).  The man and the woman were known to be in "two separate spheres" and only to be together at breakfast and dinner since their workdays were so different from each other (Hughes).  At this time, women were also beginning to think about why they were not allowed to vote.  A main point that men would bring up against their cause was since they had such a large influence in the home, they shouldn't need the right to vote.  Since their only role was now seen in the home and taking care of the family, women's education began to change and not in the best way.  As Hughes describes, women who indulged in too much intellectual stimulation would seem off-putting to men and would not be desirable.  Women who did this would also seem as a threat to the men's "natural intellectual superiority" (Hughes).  Hughes also makes a note to point out that doctors would tell women that engaging in too much studying and brain activity would actually damage the ovaries, causing them to not be a desirable wife.  She elaborates on the different ways women also oppressed other women as well, which brings a different view to Gilman's work.  Some women honestly believed their only place was in the home and that they should never participate in too much intellectual activity such as writing or studying.  The point Hughes makes helps me better understand what Gilman was going through when she wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper".  These things were actually happening to women, and most didn't think anything was wrong with the oppression.  Gilman and other women who actually did indulge in the intellectual activities that doctors and husbands advised against, did realize the wrong that was happening to women.  Feminists in this time began to flourish because of the women who did take a stand.  

Ames, DuBois, and Hughes' articles bring new light to my understanding of Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper".  Feminists began the fight long before Gilman published her work on expressing the oppression she experienced.  Ames' article helps me better understand Gilman's text because he goes into more detail about the different parts of her writing that show how women were being treated in that time period and how feminists were fighting back.  The background information that DuBois gives of the beginnings of feminists in the nineteenth century influences the way I understand Gilman's writing.  Hughes gives various examples of how women were being mistreated in the nineteenth century.  Through the new light brought upon the historical context of feminists in the nineteenth century and the bigger analysis of Gilman's allusions to oppression, I now have a better understanding of Gilman's text and what she went through during that time in her life.

