The issue of societal prejudice persists in the modern world, and the examination of literary works allows seeing how different authors view these occurrences. This paper will analyze the social criticism of Chopin and Gillman and their approaches to depicting love. Chopin’s works, such as The Awakening, focus primarily on feministic issues; therefore, the author criticized the current societal views on the roles of women and men. However, Mambol notes that Chopin’s early work was less feministic and aimed to show the real-life of people in Louisiana, which was the central theme of these publications. In terms of Chopin’s approach to depicting love, this author has been criticized for her straightforward depiction of sexuality, for example, in the short story “Ripe Fig.”
Charlotte Gillman offers a variety of social criticisms in her work “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and it closely aligns with that of Chopin. Mainly, this story is about a woman who confronts her traditional role in a society where men dominate, and therefore, the role of the female is diminished. From the beginning of this story, the author shows the woman’s cell and the description of it in parallel with how this character sees it to show her inner world in contrast with the social restrictions. The theme of love is also essential in this work as the main character maintains a relationship with her husband. Although he is not supportive of her rebellion against society, once this woman makes her statement about wanting to change her role, she leaves him and walks away. In summary, both Chopin and Gillman have stories that show a feministic perspective.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate, 1850-1904. The Awakening and Selected Short Stories. Bantam Books, 1988.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, 1860-1935. The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader: The Yellow Wallpaper, and Other Fiction. Pantheon Books, 1980.
Mambrol, Nasrullah. “Analysis Of Kate Chopin’S Novels.” Literary Theory And Criticism, 2018. Web.