The Victorian Era Began In 1837 With The Succession Of

The Victorian era began in 1837 with the succession of Alexandrina Victoria and ended with her death in 1901 which was the longest reign of any British monarch at that time. This era is commonly characterized by rise of the middle class, rigid social expectations, expansion of overseas colonies, and the substantial rise of women in literature. The Victorian era begins just years after the end of Britain’s Industrial Revolution in 1830, which (as the title suggests) revolutionized Britain and brought forth a new middle-class who aspired to nobility and scorned the peasantry. Along with this massive shift in social class came the shift in the workforce as all members of society, including women, were needed to fill the thousands upon†¦show more content†¦Though Gilman is an American author, her work provides an insight into a phenomena that resulted from the isolation and repression of women by harsh societal norms that are reflected in Britain and are therefore pertine nt to the discussion of women’s role in the Victorian era. In a work deemed by many to be Gilman’s magnum opus, an unnamed female narrator is slowly driven insane as she is forced to spend her time locked in a room where the only source of stimulation is the ugly yellow patterns that coat the wall. The short story begins with the narrator and her educated husband, John, moving into their home for the summer. It is quickly revealed that the narrator suffers from a â€Å"nervous depression† that was common of women in this period and that she and her husband seem to be cut from two different cloths. Where the narrator is portrayed as lively, imaginative, and naà ¯ve, John is shown to be rigid, intellectual, and rational. It is John (in his unending wisdom, thoughtfulness, and compassion) that prescribes the hellish and ultimately disastrous summer with no activity, physical or otherwise. The narrator mentions that she is not allowed to engage in any physical activity, reading, and writing. Due to the restraints she is under, she feels the need to liberate her mind and secretly begins a journal. In the journal, she provides a description of the house in which she is kept, the rings along the walls, the bars on the windows. 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