An Analysis of First Person Narration’s Role in Conveying Feminist Themes in The Yellow Wallpaper 

Abstract Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a well-known feminist writer who dedicates to advocating female rights. The Yellow Wallpaper, originally published in 1892, is her representative short story which manifests itself as a classic feminist works. The story is well received for its gothic horror, meaningful metaphor and feminism theme. Much of the success of the story attributes to the skillful narration. The thesis aims to find out the role first person narration plays in revealing the feminism theme. the thesis tries to explain the effect of first person narration in two aspects: the first person narration stands for discourse right; the first person narration unveils the suffering of suppressed women in a blunt way. The author chooses a mad woman as the narrator, reveals her psychological state through her fragmented diaries and associates her fantasy with the yellow wallpaper so as to shape vividly the image of a woman suffering from patriarchy and deprivation of basic rights. 58215

Keyword: first person narration ; unreliable narration ; mad woman; feminism

第一人称叙述对于《黄色壁纸》女权主义主题的揭示作用

摘要夏洛特·帕金森·吉尔曼是美国19世纪著名的女权主义作家。她发表于1982年的短篇小说《黄色壁纸》是一部经典的女权主义作品。小说中，作者大胆地选择一名疯女人作为叙述者，通过疯女人的内心独白、心理活动及疯狂幻想揭示出男权社会下女性的艰难处境，从而有力抨击了男权主义的不公。这篇小说以其哥特式恐怖气氛，丰富的隐喻及有力的女权主义主题而备受推崇，而第一人称叙述作为贯穿全篇的叙述方式对于人物塑造乃至主题表达都有不可置疑的作用。本文归纳了第一人称叙述对于小说女权主义表达的独特效果。小说中，第一人称叙述的主观性与限制性恰好为女主人公提供绝对话语权，某种程度上弥补了现实中话语权的缺失。此外，女主人公的幻想及日记最真实地反映了她的生存状态，全面揭示出男权社会下女性的悲哀，从而引发读者对社会的进一步思考。

毕业论文关键词：第一人称叙述；不可靠叙述；疯女人；女权主义 ；黄色壁纸

Contents 

I. Introduction 1

II. Literature review 2

2.1 Studies on Writing Features 2

    2.1.1 Unique Viewpoint: First Person Narration 2

    2.1.2 Innovative Focus: The Process of Going Mad 3

    2.1.3 Writing State: Hysterical Writing 3

    2.1.4 Means of Artistic Expression : Psychopathological Symbolism 3

2.2 Studies on Feminism Theme 3 

III. Body 4

  3.1. First Person Narration Realizes Woman’s Protest against Patriarchal Society 5

3.1.1 The Importance of Expression Right to Woman in That Age 5

3.1.2 Woman’s Right to Express as a Threat to Patriarchal Society 6

    3.1.2.1 First Person Narration Itself Offers the Woman a Right to Express 6

    3.1.2.2 First Person Narration Enables the Due Attention Paid to a Mad Woman 6

  3.2. First Person Narration Exposes the Woman’s Suffering Under Patriarchal Society