Compartive of Women

A Comparative of the struggle of a women

In the short story “The Yellow Paper” by Charlotte Gilman and the graphic novel “Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood” by Marjane Strapi both authors tell a story of an oppressed women, but portrays them in very differently. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is about a wife that suffers from a nervous depression. The husband in the story frequently imposes his will on his wife with out much regard of her feelings, which In turn worsens her condition. However, “Persepolis” is about a young women growing up in the middle of the Iranian revolution, and follows the struggles of an adolescent modern rebel women in a time where fundamentalism ruled. Firstly, in “The Yellow Wallpaper” women are represented to be weak and easily controlled, while women in Persepolis are described as strong forces not to be trifled with. Secondly, the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is discouraged from stimulus and creativity, while women in “Persepolis” are encouraged to enlighten them selves. Lastly, even with all the differences in between the two texts there if a fundamental similarity. The women of each text were forced to hide themselves in the presence of their in the public eye. Although, both stories tell similar stories of oppressed women when portraying the women within it both authors use very different methods.

Firstly, women in “Persepolis” are portrayed to be more powerful forceful entities, while in “The Yellow Wallpaper” women where shown to be submissive and easily controlled. For example, in “The Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator says, “John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least. He says that with my imaginative powers and habit of story making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my good sense to check the tendency. So I try”(Gilman, 310). This quote is an excellent example of not only how women in “The Yellow Wallpaper” are easily dominated, but they are...