The Sound of Silent Voices

Dear Reader,

What follows is a multi-genre paper that explores the issue of gender roles. The issue first came up when I read "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "A Woman on a Roof" in class, and I was struck at first by the ways the women in both stories were treated--as nameless objects. But when I started to write this paper, I saw that the roles of women--which is what I noticed first--weren't the only ones that were really limited. The men, too, seemed to act in ways that were almost predetermined. I wanted to explore the things that various characters in these stories had to say, even if they were silent in the original text.

To give the paper a sense of unity, I created a fictional student who is reading these same stories in a class. This student's voice turns up in the first entry, as well as in the "Reader's Log" entries. I was able to use her as a way to help puzzle out the inconsistencies I'd noticed when reading the short stories. Her voice also allowed me to be more tentative and thoughtful about the events in the stories, instead of just having to prove a point at all costs. I hope you enjoy reading the paper.

"Hi, it's me. (Pause) No, it just got over. (Pause) I don't knowóall right, I guess. We had to read some weird story about a psycho woman and her wallpaper. (Pause) Yeah, that's the one. You've read it? (Pause) Huh. Yeah, I wondered about that, too. But I thought it might be post-partum or something. (Pause) I was mostly just pissed at how the husband had her wrapped around his finger. Didn't seem right. (Pause) Uh huh. Yeah, so I'll be back there in an hour or so. (Pause) All right. See ya.

Questions for the Narrator

1. Why can't you just tell your husband that you're seeing things?
2. Why can't your husband recognize that you really are sick?
3. Why can't you see that you're being treated like a child?
4. Why can't your husband make you his priority?

John's Diary

I really am concerned about the little woman, although I dare not let her know. With her imagination, she'd soon be picturing herself as a raving lunatic, and she mustn't be encouraged to indulge her fancy at all. I cannot fathom what has sent her into this hysteria; she leads a life most women would find more than comfortable. My position in society is one that garners respect, not only for me but for her, and the baby, as well; we live in a fashionable house, and have active social livesówell, not as much since her illness. It's a lucky thing that Jennie can keep house for us for the time being. I know the wife doesn't like having things done for her, but she's not in any state to do her wifely duty at the moment. I simply had to find a substitute for herótemporary, of course. I hope this house is making her feel better, although the truth is that I don't know for certain. How difficult it is for a doctor to make such an admission!

Reader's Log I

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

I keep thinking about that woman in the wallpapered room (I wonder what her name is? Is it Jane?). I keep wondering why she doesn't recognize that she's got to listen to her own voice instead of her husband's. It's almost like she just can't value her own opinion, that it's trapped inside her the way she's trapped in the room. Hmm. And then there's the woman who is kept behind the bars of the wallpaper; she's trapped, too. But the funny thing is that none of them are literally trapped by anything. I mean, the narrator could just leave the place if she really decided to; there are no locks on the doors. It's almost as if she just can't even see that she has a choice in the matter. She's just locked in to the idea that she has to be the good wife, the good mother. I guess in that time period, it was a lot harder to question the roles that were expected of them. I'm glad we've gotten over that by now.

Marriage: A Found Poem from "The Yellow Wallpaper"

John laughs at me
but one expects that in marriage.
John is a physician, and
perhaps
that is one reason I do not get well faster.
You see he does not believe I am sick!
What is one to do?

Dear John! He loves me very dearly.
He is very careful and loving.
He took me in his arms and called me
a blessed little goose

John says I mustn't lose my strength.
John is so pleased to see me improve!
I'm feeling so much better!
John is away all day, and even some nights.

He asked me all sorts of questions and
pretended
to be very loving and kind.
As if I couldn't see through him!

I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes.
I got so angry I bit off a little piece of the bed
but it hurt my teeth.

I want to astonish him.

Now why should that man have fainted?
You see, he does not believe I am sick!

He Said, She Said

Woman: I don't like this room. Being here is not making me better.
Man: You are better, you just don't know it.

Man: You have duties to your family--your husband, your baby.
Woman: I don't mean to be such a failure.

Woman: I've begun to see things in the wallpaper.
Man: No, you haven't. You're letting your imagination run away. Discipline yourself.

Reader's Log II

"A Woman on a Roof" by Doris Lessing

What is it with these stories? Another woman character, and once again the author doesn't even bother to tell us her name. What is going on with that? But I suppose we don't know anything else about her, so why should we know her name? Actually, I guess the author tells us that she likes to sunbathe, and that she isn't intimidated by the whistles of those workers. I wonder why she doesn't do anything. And I wonder what's up with Stanley being so angry about the woman, too. We don't get to see what's in his head, and it doesn't make sense that he'd get so mad just because the woman doesn't react to him. Maybe he's just used to being the center of attention, and can't stand the idea that he might not be god's gift to women anymore. And Tom! I actually feel a little sorry for Tom, he's so naïve. It's like the woman is his first puppy love, and when he finally gets the guts to talk to her, she smacks him down pretty hard. Not that he doesn't deserve it; I mean, he's acted like a jerk, but he doesn't get that she can't see how nice he's been in his thoughts. I thought that was pretty ironic, actually--he's all sad that she's been unfair in judging him without knowing anything about him, when he's done the same thing to her. He saw her as something like a magazine cover, and filled in all the details from every stereotype of sexily-dressed women he could imagine.

A Letter Home

Dear Mum and Dad,

You'll never believe what it's been like in London this week! I'm so glad the sun is out. I haven't enjoyed weather like this since leaving Africa. It must have been nearly ninety degrees all week. I've been lying out in the sun on the roof of my building, trying to build up a tan. It's been heavenly.

Well, almost heavenly. There are three men working on the roof of the building next door, and they've been giving me a bit of a hard time--whistling, yelling, you know. I don't know why they can't leave me in peace. I know, Dad, you'll say "If you prance around naked in public, people are going to notice." But I'm not naked, and the roof is hardly a public place. Mum, you'll be glad to know that I'm doing as you always taught me--I just ignore their crude remarks. I wonder what they must be thinking as they shout and whistle. Am I supposed to be flattered by their attention? Do they think I should smile and flirt with them to reward their abominable behavior? It's as if they want me to feel like I'm doing something rather naughty, when I'm only enjoying the sun. Well, I refuse to give them the satisfaction.

Much love,

Josie

Channel Surfing

Click. Ad. "Öfor colds, it's Robitussin. Just ask Doctor Mom!"

Click. Talk show. "Öall I'm askin', Maury, is if it ain't too much to expect my wife to have the house a little clean and my supper cooked when I get home from work?"

Click. Ad. "Öwith Fast Abs, you can have the body you've always dreamed of, without those lengthy, sweaty workouts at the gym!"

Click. Simpsons. "ÖOh, come on, Marge, you know you couldn't get a job anyway. Working is for men. Besides, what would Bart and Lisa and Maggie do if you weren't at home for them?"

Click. Ad. "See the new Spring Angel Collection at Victoria's Secret--and get 20% off all miracle bras!"

Click. Off.

Stanley's Wife's Diary

I don't know what I've done to upset Stanley. Every night when he gets home from work, he's been in a foul temper. I know the hot weather is making his job on the roof a real miserable experience, which is why I've stocked in a crate of lager and kept it cold in the fridge. I thought he'd like that. But last night, he threw his beer, bottle and all, at my head. That just isn't right.

I wish that he would tell me what he's so angry about. Did I do something wrong? I try to be a good wife. I know that he's the man of the house, and I do my best to take care of all the little things. When he asks for something, don't I always give it to him?

My mum came over this morning and helped me bandage up my cheek, and the sunglasses hide most of the bruising, so I was able to do the shopping and get the supper ready. But I still wish Stanley would tell me what it is that's been making him so angry. Maybe I could even help. Because I know something has to change, and soon--or else there will be trouble.

Reader's Log III

I'm still trying to puzzle out what's going on in the lives of the two nameless women characters. I think they kind of have something in common--there are text-to-text connections I need to figure out. They're both seen in certain ways by the men in the stories. The "Yellow Wallpaper" woman (yww for short) is seen by her husband as "the wife and mother" but also as a kind of child. It's as if the yww has to narrate her story to the diary so that she can voice her opinions, even though no one is around to hear it. Well, until it's too late, anyway. And no one hears the voice of the woman on the roof, either, but I don't think it's for the same reason. It's almost like the roof woman doesn't even bother to speak to the men because they aren't worth her time or effort--maybe she would speak to them if they showed her a little respect. But those men are almost trapped into their own roles themselves, having to ogle the nearly naked woman--they don't stop to think about their actions. I think what connects the two women in the stories is the way they each fail to fully meet the social expectations of their times. The yww tries to fake her way and fulfill those expectations, and it leads to her madness. The roof woman defies those expectations, and she seems like the winner--she's not intimidated by the men. But neither of them really has a voice in the story that's ever heard by the male characters.

Endnotes

Entry 1: One Half of a Cell Phone Call
I used this genre first so that I could introduce the reader immediately to the student in the class that's studying the stories. I thought that the genre was appropriate because it gave her the chance to articulate a couple of thoughts about the first story--thoughts that could be developed further later on. I also came upon the idea by overhearing a conversation similar to this on the way out of class one day.

Entry 2: Questions for the Narrator
These were some questions that I had after reading "The Yellow Wallpaper." I thought that they would be interesting in that they show some of the things that a reader of the story might wonder about, and also let the reader of my paper see some questions that my paper was investigating.

Entry 3: John's Diary
This entry was attempting to show what the story's narrator's husband, John, was thinking about. I tried to show that he was pretty arrogant and thought of his wife in somewhat objective terms, but at the same time was trying to do what he thought a "good" husband would do. I didn't want him to be seen as just a bad guy, but as a person who had to live within social expectations that often governed his actions and attitudes.

Entry 4: ....