Why do we so often refrain from doing what we want to? You might think it is entirely because we want to fit our niche in society; that we all desire to be accepted by our peers. While there is definitely some truth to that, I think it goes far beyond that. I think humans occasionally become very self-aware of their more primal instincts, and try to repress them. Maybe we only feel shame because we feel that we SHOULD feel shame, but either way, we are shamed into burying the majority of our primal urges. I feel that the very same instinct and shame game is played daily by individuals who are fighting with the socially accepted role that their gender plays. While this idea of gender-role repression is literarily portrayed in both Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and in Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”, it is portrayed in an entirely different manner in both.

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” tells the strangely uncanny story of Connie, a 15 year old girl, living in a small, slow family, in a small, slow town. The story tells of Connie’s last few days in her hometown, as she is about to make a giant leap into the unknown. An older, mysterious man who claims to be named Arnold Friend engages at her home after seeing her in town, and drives away with her after some tense discussion. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” has been interpreted both as an anti-feminist story (because it seems to portray Connie as gullible, dumb, and in need of a leader), and also a feminist story (because of the simple fact that Connie is consistently the only character in the story with a real degree of power). I would personally argue that while “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” does not fit neatly into either category, it certainly does lean more towards the feminist side. Feminism is most significantly displayed in the very fact that Arnold Friend has absolutely no power of Connie. Arnold Friend is merely able to speak, while Connie ultimately has the ability to stay or go. While this one fact securely places “Where…” in the feminist category, it doesn’t have an x in every feminist category. For one thing, I personally draw a huge line between power, and domination. While Connie may have all of the power to make her own decision, Arnold Friend is still in a dominating position. Arnold Friend’s dialog is almost entirely a forcefully persuasive attempt at revealing the true Connie, to the constructed Connie. While Connie might already be subconsciously aware of her true desires to escape her sad little town, she isn’t able to fully realize it, or act on it without allowing herself to become submissive. Connie is in control of her own destiny, but isn’t able to act on her more instinctual urges without the environment that Mr. Friend creates.

While “Where…” tells the story of a young woman with all the power she needs to act on her impulses, “The Yellow Wallpaper” speaks of a woman who is already totally in touch with her soul, but is stripped of her freedoms by the ignorance of men. The main character of “Wallpaper” is an intellectual woman who spends a good deal of time thinking, and writing. After giving birth, she is quickly diagnosed as mentally ill due to her thinking, and is eventually institutionalized. She is forced to quit writing in her prison-cell of a room, and eventually really does go insane from the monotony and inhumanity of it all. “Wallpaper” paints a very clear picture of the reality of a woman’s power, and mental ability, and asks anyone who doubts a woman’s intellect to reevaluate their own. Through this, Charlotte Perkins Gilman is able to make her own small dent on negative perspectives of women, and the stupidity that often leads to downright ignorant expectations of what a woman “should be”. All in all, “The Yellow Wallpaper” makes a strong argument for the overall reduction of gender construction.

Both stories go a long ways towards demonstrating the capabilities of a woman, and the general lack of necessity of concrete gender roles. While the two stories are very different in their methods (almost opposites), they nevertheless serve to portray women as capable of having both great power, and great thoughts. While some attributes do seem to come more naturally to a particular sex, these stories demonstrate that stereotyping such connections is a terrible mistake.