INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU

KEMENTERIAN PENDIDIKAN MALAYSIA

KAMPUS DARULAMAN, 06000 JITRA
KEDAH DARUL AMAN

TSLB3123
LITERAUTURE IN ENGLISH

Nama : ABDUL MU’IZ BIN SHAMSUL ARIFIN

No. K/P : 010218-08-1077
Angka Giliran : 2020182340448
Program : PISMP
Ambilan : JUN 2020
Unit : TESL 1
Nama Pensyarah : KAMARULNIZAM BIN YUSOFF
Tarikh Hantar : 24/2/2023

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 FEMINISM CRITICISM ON TRIFELS AND THE YELLOW WALLPAPER

Introduction

Literary criticism is the thoughtful analysis of literary texts and problems. As a term, it refers to
any discussion of literature, regardless of the analysis of works. According to Crews, (2023) the
earliest significant example of literary criticism is frequently regarded as Plato's warnings in his
Republic against the potentially dangerous effects of poetic inspiration in general. By
summarising, interpreting, and analysing an author's work, literary criticism aims to deepen the
reader's knowledge of it. After carefully reading the text, a critic develops a thorough literary
analysis that can either support or contradict the interpretation of another reader. “Literary
criticism aims to analyse, interpret and evaluate the texts created by humans at a particular
moment in time and in a specific cultural ambience” (Nayar, 2018). There are a few types of
literary criticism such as post-colonial criticism, reader response criticism and feminist criticism.
This writing will discuss on feminist criticism on Trifles written by Susan Glaspell and The Yellow
Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Synopsis of Trifles

In his incredibly eerie Midwestern farmhouse, John Wright was killed by being strangled with a
rope. The true detectives are revealed to be Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters as the County Attorney,
Sheriff Peters, and a nearby farmer named Mr. Hale search the house for leads. Although Mrs.
Wright's unfinished quilt is frequently made fun of by the menfolk, it is the women's concern for
"woman stuff" that helps them solve the crime. The ladies unravel the mystery when they find
Mrs. Wright's favourite canary with its neck wrung. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are aware that the
stern Mr. Wright broke the canary's neck and that, in retaliation for years of mental abuse and
neglect, Mrs. Wright gave her husband a taste of what her cherished bird received. When the
women hide the bird from the male authorities, they deprive them of the motive proof they need
to convict Mrs. Wright, bringing the drama to its chilling conclusion. In the end, there are many
intriguing debates concerning what exactly constitutes justice for women and other oppressed
people worldwide. Conclusion: The subject of gender inequality is present in Trifles.
Synopsis of The Yellow Wallpaper

The narrator has what her spouse terms a "temporary nervous depression," according to her.
He selects a room in the house for the two of them and instructs her to relax as much as
possible. The narrator is a little uneasy about the estate, but she goes along with her husband's
desire to stay there. She also yields to him when he chooses the bigger, airier room on the top
floor rather than the smaller, more attractive room on the ground floor. The doctor husband
always prevails in their arguments. Her husband, brother, and several other family members
disagree with the narrator's desire to spend her time writing because she is now on a rest cure,
which entails doing little to nothing but rest. Basically, she merely has to "relax" by lying around.
She starts obsessively tracing the wallpaper's design and quickly comes to believe that there is
a woman trapped inside the fabric. The narrator thinks she must remove the wallpaper to
release the trapped woman just before she must leave the house. The narrator claims that she
is now free when her spouse enters the room. From this, it may be inferred that The Yellow
Wallpaper's theme is also one of female discrimination.

Theme: Gender Oppression

As defined by Patil, (2017), gender oppression is described as oppression related to a society's

gender relations, norms, and stratification. Attitudes, situations, or behaviours that promote
stereotyping of social roles based on gender are a kind of gender discrimination. Egality has not
yet been attained, notwithstanding the historical victories that women's rights campaigners
battled for. Still today, women are subjected to rape, violence, objectification, oppression, and
discrimination. Both stories shared many the same theme and one of them is gender oppression
towards women.

For instance, in Trifles, the male-dominated culture does more than merely keep women
dependent on their husbands and lock them into lonely existence said Champlin & Nikola,
(2015). These same males also fail to see how they contribute to the treatment of women.
Because of this, the men denigrate the women, making fun of their morality, intelligence, and
servitude. “But he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters. Just to pass the time of day with him—[Shivers]
Like a raw wind that gets to the bone.” This quote from the story demonstrates how severely
women were oppressed during that time and how difficult it was for them to achieve
independence.
In addition, Jennie in The Yellow Wallpaper was confined to the house, prohibited from working,
and viewed by her husband as weak, emotional, and indulgent according to Lorenz& Ben,
(2015). She hated being forced to be inactive. “Dear John! He loves me very dearly and hates to
have me sick. I tried to have a real earnest reasonable talk with him the other day and tell him
how I wish he would let me go and make a visit to Cousin Henry and Julia. But he said I couldn’t
go, nor able to stand it after I got there; and I did not make out a very good case for myself, for I
was crying before I had finished.” This quotation from the story is how the author portrays the
feeling of Jennie towards what she is facing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many lessons to be drawn from the history of women's oppression.
Even though it seems improbable that gender inequality will still exist in the future, the fight for
women's rights is constantly being waged. This is due to the persistence of outdated
stereotypes about the place of women in society, particularly in some western regions.
References

Champlin, Nikola. (2015). Trifles Themes: Social Oppression of Women. LitCharts.

Crews, F. C. (2023). literary criticism. Britannica.

Lorenz, Ben. (2015). The Yellow Wallpaper Themes: Gender Roles and Domestic Life.
LitCharts.

Nayar, N. A. (2018). Importance of literary criticism. The News on Sunday.

Patil, V. (2017). Gender Oppression. Wiley Online Library.

doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosg021