On Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s My Poor Aunfrom the Perspective of Feminism

【Abstract】Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a utopian feminist during a time when her accomplishments were very rare and exceptional for women. The thesis intends to analyze some feminist ideas from the perspective of feminism， together with the study of historical background of the novel. By comparing different reactions of three female protagonists in My Poor Aunt when they suffer the repression of dominant patriarchal family and the constraint of their own talent， which also reveals that protagonists fates in Gilmans works coincide with the growth of her feminist ideas.

【Key words】Gilman； My Poor Aunt； feminist awareness

Charlotte Perkins Gilman （1860-1935） is a renowned American feminist novelist at the ending of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century， whose works become the feminist classics. Gilmans early works， With the development of Gilmans personal life experience， the theme of her work transforms from opposing patriarchal oppression to seeking female potential and realization of self-worth. My Poor Aunt is one excellent work of Gilman which embodies such a theme. However， scholars in China do not attach enough importance to this research. The thesis intends to analyze this novel from the perspective of feminism， together with the study of historical background of the novel

In this story My Poor Aunt ， the procedure of those family members confrontation is an argument or a fight of the narrators distinguish feminist consciousness against the traditional patriarchal thoughts. In the bodies of little Kate and her aunt Kate there exists particular and mature feminist awareness reflected in three aspects： pursuit of self-independence， pursuit of self-actualization and marriage autonomy.

Pursuit of Self- independence

Gilman asserted： “The most fundamental economic need lies behind the foundation of whole social structure and its effect runs through ancient and modern until forever.”（Gilman1898： 34）

Economical independence is the key to freeing women from the bondage of the out-dated but still dominant male-female relationship.

In this short story My Poor Aunt， Aunt Kate， after the end of her first unhappy marriage， she never had another marriage any longer for a long time. This strong-minded woman used her personal talent， ability and career to support herself instead of marrying an excellent or rich husband which she could depend on. This woman is a typical example and perfect epitome of female self-independence.

Comparing with staying at home to share ones effort， she refused to use marriage to “obtain all the necessaries， most of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life” （Gilman 1992： 162） without hesitation and wanted to earn her own living and be independent！ “I claim my right as an individual...earn my own living “（Gilman 1992： 163） Luckily， for those two women， they realized the economic-independence meant their fully independence and freedom of spirit， meant the successful escape from the similar miserable marriage and destiny and meant the good start of a new life. Without this factor， the females pursuit of happiness and independence will lose the foundation of existence.

Pursuit of Self- Actualization

Aunt Kate was a typical feminist who tapped her potential and gained self-actualization. She had rebellious spirit. When faced with the powerful patriarchal oppression， she bravely got divorced and got rid of the patriarchal family bondage to “go west”. In the western area， Aunt Kate fully dug out her potential in writing and was brave enough to step to the uncultivated land and start a new way of life. In the pioneering process， writing rendered her economic support and provided her social decent position of a handsome and achieved “owner and editor of the Nebraska Morning Star”. And the most importantly， writing freed her mind and soul， made her feel meaningful everyday and looked like younger than her two elder sisters. The power of writing not only lay in bringing wealth and reputation but also mental health and joy. The self-actualization of Aunt Kate also brought to her real beauty and confidence. Aunt Kates behaviour showed the assignable belief on female self-actualization.

Pursuit of Marriage Autonomy

True love is the foundation of marriage. This is another important idea contemporary feminism advocates. One of the highlights of this short story is that the writer shows this view through a series of conversation between the narrator and her mother， Aunt Ellen and the boarder， Mr. Jameson. The mother and Aunt Ellen thought a marriage based on high social status and abundant material comforts is a success， which can give little Kate the real happiness of life.

“He has a noble character， ” said my mother.“He has a splendid position，” said my aunt. “Love！” said mother， sadly， “thats not everything！” “I dont care，” I answered； “I wont marry without it！”（Gilman 1992： 160-161）

From the short conversation between the narrator and her mother and Aunt Ellen as the following， we can find the narrator refused to use love and marriage to improve her living standard and meet her vanity. The narrator had possessed feminist awareness that pure love was the only and primary reason of the combination of lovers. Only when people loved each other deeply could they step into the marriage. Anything else， including family background， fortune， fame and interests would be put in the second place. Her strong desire against the traditional attitude towards marriage reflected her feminist awareness of marriage autonomy. This kind of autonomy included not only the choice who the females would marry but also whether they will marry in the future.

Contrast and Comparison of Three Sisters Different Destinies

Gilman briefly surveyed the marriages of three sisters， Ellen， Lucy and Kate. The youngest， Kate， had divorced her husband many years before the opening of the story The two conventional sisters who remained married—one wealthy， one impoverished—led difficult and equally unrewarding lives， filled with： uninterrupted trials and disappointments. Little Kates mother and Aunt Ellen held the traditional idea of marriage. Neither of them managed it into success. The two sisters could not see the importance of fulfilling work for women and focus much attention on a traditional female role in a family influenced deeply by patriarchal thoughts： good marriages would provide women with all comforts without any effort and hardworking. Aunt Kates runaway was a humiliation to the sisters， who could never expect a woman could survive and be well-off without marriage. Deep in their mind， they refused to believe the notion of individual striving and continuing life without a husband. But Aunt Kates bravely resistance against the patriarchal oppression and great achievement in developing personal ability not only gave her all comforts but also won social respect and independence. Even Little Kate worshiped her for her courage to breakthrough the tradition and achievement in writing. Aunt Kates self-actualization directly showed them the wrong of the narrators mothers opinion. The writer presented the much more growth of Aunt Kates feminist consciousness than that of her two sisters： women also should be independent economic and spiritual， and by making use of their personal talent and ability， they could gain the real happiness. In the eyes of the mother and Aunt Ellen， Kate is a tragic figure， however， this “tragic” figure holds many virtues to be admired and learned. The title “My Poor Aunt” transmits an absolute irony.

Conclusion

From the study of My Poor Aunt， we discovered some important points presented by Gilman， which were helpful to the understanding of Gilmans creation and beneficial to the freedom of women in present society.

First， Gilman wanted to expose an easily ignored truth that economic-independence， self-realization and marriage autonomy were utmost important elements for women to gain happiness and independence from traditional roles as subservient to men. Second， through comparing different reactions of three sisters in My Poor Aunt when they suffered the repression of dominant patriarchal family and the constraint of their own talent， we can find that Aunt Kate has more maturer feminist consciousness and more effective measures of self-salvation than that of the protagonist of the latter. All in all， though short， this short story has a lot inside that needs further exploration.

References：

[1]Gilbert，Sandra M.，and Susan Gubar，ed.The Madwoman in the Attic.New Haven：Yale UP，1979.

[2]Gilman，Charlotte Perkins，ed.Herland and Selected Stories.New York：Signet Classics，1992.

作者簡介：刘晓静（1992.9-），女，汉族，安徽阜阳人，硕士，研究方向：英语语言文学。