The Yellow Wallpaper:
Symbols
- Yellow Wallpaper:an example of the social separation of men and women. It is a mental barrier.
- The color yellow: yellow references to sickness. Men's superiority and privilege over women is seen here. Also, the woman's sickness can be seen as the oppression of men on women during that time. The way the woman keeps talking about how her husband essentially ignores the situation with his wife illustrates a bigger picture of what went on with womens suffrage and rejection they went through.
- Window- a view of potential freedom. This represents the possibility of change, and the hope that many women felt. Where the woman looks out of.
The White Heron:
-The color white- a sign of purity. Also the color of semen.
-The cow- Perhaps this is Sylvie's innocence.
-The white heron- The heron can represent a pure creature such as a virgin. The indian man is very interested in the heron, and has an insatiable desire to capture it. Once again, the color white points back to purity.
-The indian man- The red color of the man's skin could possibly represent the deflowering of a girl. The indian man talks about how he shoots many birds and preserves them. These birds could be seen as his trophies of sexual partners.
-The man's gun- an example of the man's sexual dominance over sylvia. This could also be his penis if the birds symbolize women, because it is what he uses to shoot his prey and also satisfy his ladies.
-The pine tree- I am pretty sure that this is supposed to be the indian's penis, and the whole description of Sylvia climbing up it to see the white heron is her having sex with him.
-overall language of the essay- If you look for it there are little hints throughout the piece such as the man asking for milk, of all things, to drink or when it talks about the pussy (cat) at the old abandoned farmhouse.
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