For hundreds of years, women have struggled to gain equality with men. Over the years they have been held back and had opportunities taken from them just because they are women. The fight for equality, also known as the feminist movement, Really started to gain traction in the 1960s and through the 1970s. The movement gained so much traction that in 1975, Time Magazine awarded its "Man of the Year" to "American women." Time Magazine said, "They have arrived like a new immigrant wave in Male America." Not only do you see a change in the workplace, but also in literature. Even in literature you can see how women were treated and what their roles in society were. This is very evident in Charlotte Gilman's, "The Yellow Wallpaper." Gilman describes this story as "a case of nervous breakdowns" that lead to the "inevitable result, progressive insanity." "The Yellow Wallpaper" helps create a better understanding of the feminist movement and how women are viewed.

The societal norms at this point show that females are inferior to men. The plot of "The Yellow Wallpaper" shows how the male's view on women is only harming them. Background information to what is going on in this time period is necessary. At this time, doctor were still using the "rest cure" method of healing, which basically means bed rest, isolation, and overfeeding. This method of healing is a strong example of the misogyny during the time period, especially medically. The medical beliefs throughout this era are evident when you look at how women and men were treated for certain disease. Obviously, men and women can both have the same neurological disorders, but men and women were treated drastically different. Women were encouraged to to stay away from "writing, excessive studying, or any attempt to enter the professions." (Stiles). They were pretty much stopped from involving themselves in any "brain activity" or interaction with humans. While on the other hand, men were encouraged to take part in hard physical activity out west and write about them, this is called the "west cure." This cure prompted men to very muscular and manly, which is very popular at this time. Patients from the west sure often came back refreshed and better than ever, while rest cure patients often went through a very unpleasant experience. The differences between between these two treatments are present because they try to reinforce the "societal norms" of the different sexes. the west cure gives men the masculine characteristic they crave, while rest cure discourages women from entering the profession. The medical misogyny seen in these beliefs are very evident throughout Gilman's story. These gender roles are also seen in other stories.

Gender roles are also evident in other works of literature during this era. In Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl", the mother is telling her daughter to act like a proper women. She demands her daughter learn bow to act, how to take care of the house, and most importantly ...  not appear a "slut." The title of this short story tells a lot about how women are viewed. This story does not just represent the girl's personal stories, but more of a universal childhood of a girl. This story would be drastically different it was titled "Boy." They would talk a lot about becoming manly, joining a profession, and even about a muscular body figure. The gender roles seen in the story "Girl" are evident through a lot of texts during the era of male dominance. 

After reading through "The Yellow Wallpaper" and a couple other sources, a greater understanding of the era is gained. After reading the story, there is a clear example of how women are viewed and different ways it may effect them. The obvious one is medically, these views have led women insane because of the false theories. The narrator is told multiple times that she only has "temporary nervous depression." Both of the important men in her life tell her that she is "absolutely forbidden to 'work' until" she is healthy again. She later goes on to say that she personally disagrees with their idea. This is evident through the beliefs of rest cure. Women who were put through rest cure often thought it wasn't the right treatment, but because of how women were viewed in society they are not able to do anything about it. It was clear the treatment was not helping the patient because as the plot progressed the patient becomes more and more insane. Half way through she says, "There are things in that paper which nobody knows but me, or ever will. Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day." If this does not sound like insanity, I do not know what does. The ghost thats in the wallpaper could represent women's inferiority to men and how they feel they are trapped there. Her mental condition continues to get worse through the rest of the story, which is the opposite effect the cure is supposed to have. Men's views on women really hindered there ability to treat them correctly.

Literature throughout the years has gone hand-in-hand which the progression of women in society. This feminist movement to move away from these gender roles and gain equality with men really took off in the 1960s and 70s. Women fought hard and were even named "Man of the Year" by Time. Gilman's story perfectly portrayed the medical misogyny that women endured for years, by looking at other sources, we gain a better understanding of the era and Gilman's story. The story, "Girl", helped show how women are portrayed and expected to act. The idea of rest cure is a first hand source of the beliefs. By reading "The Yellow Wallpaper", you gain a better understanding of the research done. It gives a perfect example of how this may be effecting women and their loved ones.

