"Let's Meet Charlotte Perkins Gilman Background".

 

 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born on July 3, 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut to her mom Mary Perkins and her dad Frederic Beecher Perkins. She only had one brother named Thomas Adie who’s was fourteen months older than Gilman. In Gilman early life her father moved out and abandoned his wife and children, leaving them in an impoverished state. At the age of five, Gilman taught herself to read because her mother was ill (p.1). Although Gilman lived a childhood with isolation and loneliness, but she prepared herself for her life that lay of head by frequently visiting the public library and studying ancient civilization. In the 1800’s women were always kept in the kitchen and cleaning. The men were always working at the farms.  Gilman was just like the women in the 1800s. Gilman was always isolated in her room everyday. She was unable to get out. She had to stay in attic at the top of the house. The windows were protected by bars and made Gilman feel like she was in jail. The house she was living in used to be a hospital treatment for boys. Gilman always had a connection with boys. She always acted like a child, but she had the mind of an intelligent women. Her husband John didn’t believe she was sick, and he didn’t take her seriously. The one important reason he doesn’t take her seriously is because she is a woman. John makes fun of her and treats her like she is a little girl. When Gilman had her first child she was able to take care of it, so her sister and law Mary had to take care of the baby. Mary also stayed at Gilman’s house to clean and take care of the house. When Gilman went to school much of her youth was spent in Providence, Rhode Island. Her friends she had more mainly male. She attended seven different public schools and was a correspondent student, but studied until she was fifteen. Her natural intelligence and knowledge always impressed her teachers, who were nonetheless disappointed in her because she was a poor student. Her favorite subject was "natural philosophy," especially what later become known as physics. She was a tutor, and encouraged others to expand their artistic creativity. Gilman was also a painter. In Gilman’s adulthood she became a writer and social activist during the late 1800s and early 1900’s. Gilman’s famous story and bestseller was, “The Yellow Wallpaper”. On April 18, 1887, Gilman wrote in her diary that she was very sick with "some brain disease" which brought suffering that cannot be felt by anybody else, to the point that her "mind has given way." In 1990, Gilman discovered that she had inoperable breast cancer. Charlotte Perkins Gilman committed suicide on August 17, 1935. Gilman was suffering from mental illness; the poor women couldn’t take it anymore (p.12). Jane suffered from "Female Hysteria".

 

 

 

Links to sources
These sources were valuable to me because it gave me background information all about Charlotte Perkins Gilman, how she was treated in her lifetime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Perkins_Gilman

http://www.biography.com/people/charlotte-perkins-gilman-9311669


 

 

This picture shows what Gilman is facing in the story, you can see the terrible illness she has.

 

                Definition of Category

Gilman was a prominent American feminist, sociologist novelist, and writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. She was a feminist during a time when her accomplishments were exceptional for women, and she served as a role model for future generations of feminists. Her best remembered work today is her short story "The Yellow Wallpaper".