Personally, I think “I Stand Here Ironing” is a story that has both a Feminist view and Marxist view. I think that both of these critiques have a major impact on each other in certain parts of the story. For starters, in a Feminist view, the narrator, also known as Emily’s mother, seems to find herself abandoned when her husband and father of her child leaves her not even a year into Emily’s life. He left her a note saying that he could “no longer endure… sharing want with us.” This note was the start of a life with no father for Emily to grow up with, and less income for the family to live off of. Even though in the 1960’s women were brought up to depend on men, the narrator quickly learns that she is fact alone. She tried to get her life back on track by finally re-marrying, but not long after, she found herself single-handedly taking care of her growing family when her new husband went off to war. Although these actions were not always intentional, she still had to bear these circumstances due to the kind of society she lived in.
As for the Marxist view on “I Stand Here Ironing”, Emily and her mother are repeatedly taken advantage of and defeated by the pressures of the capitalist system in which they live. Since Emily’s father left her mother at an early age in her life, there were no government programs to help her in raising her daughter. “I was nineteen. It was a pre-relief, pre-WPA world of depression.” (pg.182) This quote taken directly from the text, was meant to show that in the early 1930’s, where this all took place, Emily’s mother struggled with finding steady job. Although she was willing to work, she was paid poorly; which caused her to have to send her daughter to live with her husband’s family. Raising enough money to get her daughter back required long, and hard work.
When Emily gets measles, we learn that because of the society they live in, she has to be sent to a convalescent home. But once again, Emily’s mother is separated from her daughter since the family cannot afford private treatment, and has to go into an institution which doesn’t allow any contact with her family, which explains why she never received any letters from anyone. Overall, we can see that because of the society’s restrictions and social conditions, the mother-daughter relationship between these two characters is quickly worsening. They constantly get separated from one another, therefore they cannot truly understand what it is like to be a family.
As for “The Yellow Wall-Paper”, I think it has more of a Feminist view on it because we can see that the narrator’s husband is very controlling over her and her decisions. It is a story about a woman’s struggles against male-centric thinking and societal norms. John, her husband, diagnoses her as sick and convince her that he can cure her. His plan is to keep her inside and keeping her away from activities such as writing, make decisions on her own, or interacting with the outside world. John claims that her condition is improving but she knows that it is not. We learn that John is somewhat manipulative. “…John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad.” (pg.) Her husband seems to be the one who can change her thoughts because of the power that males had over females in this time. The final passages of the story successfully presents a display of power and possible regain of self-confidence when the narrator stands up to her husband by locking him out of the room in which he has imprisoned her supposedly for her own good. These actions symbolize the beginning of women’s rights, and finally gaining power in the world.
vicmal 
Hey Victoria!
I appreciate the fact that you looked at both feminim and Marxism in your blog. I think most would agree that this story could be looked at from both perspectives, so it was helpful and honest that you did just that.
Although I chose a Marxist perspective, I didn’t pick up on the fact that Emily being sent to a convalescent home was an indicator of the social condition of her society at the time. I think this says a lot about the story and how it lends a hand to a Marxist perspective.
I also think you had a great observation about the ending of “The Yellow Wallpaper” and how it symbolizes the beginning of womans rights. I like how you phrased this. As opposed to just feeling as if the main character in the story had finally found her voice, I also felt a sense of empowerment for the readers during the time this story was written as well, which I didn’t fully comprehend after reading the story on my own.
Do you know if this was actually around the time that womans rights began to take place? I’m not sure!
Awesome blog!
🙂
Hi Victoria!
I agree with you, that both Feminism and Marxism work well together in both of the stories. You made a strong, concise, and well worded argument for Feminism and Marxism in “I Stand Here Ironing.” I think that what works so well for these two approaches, as you displayed in your entry, is that the burdens placed upon Emily’s mother was due to her low class status, and because she was a woman.
I completely agree with you that Feminism is a more appropriate approach to critiquing “The Yellow Wallpaper.” I really liked what you said in your last paragraph, and all your points were so true! John represents the kind of oppression women faced at the hands of their husbands, and the other men in their lives, who believed they knew what was best for their wives, and imposed those opinions on them. The ending was such a great victory, and so satisfying, because, like you said, it was a triumph of female independence! You made an excellent point about the significance of the protagonist locking her husband out of the same room that he had confined her to – great insight!
Hope your reading week is going well!
~ Kayla 🙂