The Symbolism of male dominance in The Yellow Wallpaper.
             Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper is a commentary on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society. However, the story itself presents an interesting look at one woman's struggle to deal with both physical and mental confinement. It is the story that reflects women roles in society where they are dominated by men. The story was written in a time where women were controlled and influenced by their husband. It represents the effect of the oppression of women in society. This effect is created by the use of complex symbols such as the house, the window, and the wallpaper which facilitate her oppression as well as her self expression.
             The story first starts off a couple have moved to a house. The symbolic house usually symbolizes security. The house is supposed to be a place where she can recover from severe depression. However, in this story, the house is not hers and she does not want to be in it. She says it is "haunted", (16) and that "there is something queer about it" (16). The house also facilitates her release, accommodating her, her writing and her thoughts.
             One specific characteristic of the house that symbolizes not only her potential but also her trapped feeling is the window. The window has bars on them. The symbolic window represents a sense of freedom, however are barred, keeping her in. The lights that shined through the window present the dominant of men. The wife observes that patterns of the parts where lights shine right at it are non-active parts. It symbolizes women are more settle when men are watching over them.
             The gate is locked which guarantee seclusion; even the connecting garden represents confinement.
             Throughout the entire story the husband spoke to his wife as if she were a child who knew nothing and could not make any decisions for herself. Even when she tried to tell him that she knew she was si...