Ghosts of Patriarchy: A Study of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Giant Wistaria”

Abstract

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, in most of her works, introduces disturbing images and symbols and, in this way, tries to shed light on the suppressed history of the Western patriarchy and the crimes committed against women. The present paper focuses on the
underlying patriarchal themes; of patriarchal restriction, of controlled women’s sexuality and control on motherhood in the story “The Giant Wistaria” and how, as they become more pronounced, they eventually turn themselves in ghostly forms. With its
unfathomable storyline, the present narrative discusses patriarchal oppression in society and families. The severity of the anguish that controlled women experience in this story is supported by the underlying mystery of the narrative. To achieve a number of
objectives, the current story is written in a manner reminiscent of traditional gothic narratives, but the present study does not focus on the spooky details of the narrative rather it represents that there is nothing scarier than life under patriarchy.