Paper 2

Kelly Hendricks

English 102

Professor Brady

November 19, 2015

The Male Maleficent

            For centuries, women have been undermined and dominated by the male population in all aspects of life, it’s a man’s world and women just happen to be living in it. Since the beginning of time women have been ranked on the social hierarchy beneath men and have been treated as less than human by these so called “patriarchs”. In the past and up until present day, men have used these tactics of malevolent behavior to their advantage and have been successful in exploiting women as objects and manipulating them for their own iniquitous benefit. Male dominance is distinctly portrayed in the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by feminist Charlotte Perkins Gillman through the character John and his nameless mistress as well as “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. Male malevolence and dominance has aided in the manipulation of women which therefore lead to their dehumanization, leaving them socially and emotionally oppressed within society.   

            “The Yellow Wallpaper” which is set in the time period of realism discusses the struggle of a young wife and new mother who is forced into receiving medical treatment by her husband John for her diagnosis of nervous depression. During this time, any woman who refused to go about her life as the role of the housewife was perceived as unhinged and in need of rest. Only when she returned to accepting the role of caring for children and cleaning the home were they believe to be cured. Although these women believed they were not truly sick, they were manipulated and forced into believing their diagnosis by male physicians. In the story the nameless woman states, “You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression- a slight hysterical tendency- what is one to do” (Gillman 316). Clearly the woman is skeptical of her nervous depression diagnosis, although because of the dominance men hold in the medical field she is manipulated into seeing things through the physician’s point of view, for if a doctor says something is true it must be. The women then goes on to discuss her passion for writing and her enthusiasm for putting the things occur in her head down on paper, even with her husband’s disapproval. The woman proclaims, “I don’t know why I should write this. I don’t want to. I don’t feel able. And I know john would think it absurd. But I must say what I feel and think in some way- it is such a relief” (Gillman 321).  During this time period men feared women would become cultivated of the world around them and threaten male dominance, therefore they’d manipulated women into believing they were needed in the home and nowhere else therefore dehumanizing them. Clearly John’s rank within society as a physician and being male prevented his wife from the opportunity of expressing her thoughts and ideas of her condition with others.

The short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway centers around a tense discussion between a man and women at a train station in Spain debating the controversial topic of abortion. The debate begins as the American boy tells his love interest Jig, “It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig it’s really not an operation at all” (Hemingway 115). The boy is clearly supportive of aborting the child and will tell Jig anything for her to agree with him. After sitting in silence for a few moments unsure of what she would like to say, the boy continues his rant stating, “I’ll go with you and ill stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it’s all perfectly natural” (Hemingway 115). By underplaying the significance of this dangerous procedure, the boy believes he can manipulate Jig into agreeing to go through with the operation. After convincing her that there’s nothing to the abortion, he goes on to explain that if she does this everything will go back to the way it was before and this bump in the road is the only thing to avert them from being happy. When Jig continues to question the idea the boy beings to manipulate her thinking and decision making by telling her, “Well if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple” (Hemingway 115). Again he clearly diminishes the significance of the procedure making it seem to be something that it is not in order for her to change her thinking towards the idea. Clearly by telling Jig that they could be happy like they had been before, and that he loves her is his way of manipulating her and abusing his dominance.

The theme of male dominance and manipulation through oppression is quite evident in the topic of rape laws within society. In an academic journal from Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy, the feminist author discusses her views on why rape laws have thus far been unsuccessful, specifically in Taiwan. The article begins with the author stating why reformers have yet to be successful in their mission; she states “Two factors have led to its failure. First the legal framework is poorly designed and does not adequately protect human autonomy. Second, the culture of rape trials in the Taiwanese courtroom is consecutive and patriarchic” (Lin Chih-Chieh 1). In other words rape reformers are unable to make strides towards change within society due to the fact that the judges who are in charge of the decision making for sex crimes are predominantly male. Chih- Chieh then goes on to discuss a victims stories and why many claim rape occurs on a day to day basis, “I am not the only person who worries about falling victim to rape. We women are often reminded or warned: “You should be careful”, “Don’t dress too sexy”, Don’t be alone at Night” We receive these cautionary messages from our families, our schools, and the general public” (Chih- Chieh 2). Clearly women who are victims of rape have been manipulated by males that they “deserved it” because they either were wearing a dress that was too short or decided to walk alone in a bad neighborhood at night. Men in a male dominated society clearly have the advantage of manipulation in the topic of sex crimes by convincing women that if they are raped it is at their own fault.

The dominance men hold within society has caused women both in the past and present to be vulnerable to manipulation which has overall lead to their dehumanization and social emotional oppression. “The Yellow Wallpaper”, “Hills Like White Elephants”, and the academic journal from Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy are concrete examples of how males have abused their power as the “superior” gender and have created a less than human image of women. All in all, men have and will continue to dominate the social hierarchy as long as women continue to be manipulated by their malevolent behavior.