The Malingerer (the Forerunner)
The Malingerer (The Forerunner) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A young woman, Yellow Wallpaper, is confined to a room by her husband for reasons unknown. She becomes increasingly obsessed with the wallpaper in the room, seeing patterns and shapes that no one else can see. As she becomes more and more fixated on the wallpaper, she begins to lose touch with reality, leading to a descent into madness.
By Charlotte Perkins Gilman · First published 1894 · Genre: Fiction, Drama, Psychological Fiction · 275 words
First lines
Exempt! She "does not have to work! " / So might one talk / Defending long, bedridden ease, / Weak yielding ankles, flaccid knees, / With, "I don't have to walk!"
Not have to work. Why not? Who gave / Free pass to you? / You're housed and fed and taught and dressed / By age-long labor of the rest -- / Work other people do!
What do you give in honest pay / For clothes and food? -- / Then as a shield, defence, excuse, / She offers her exclusive use -- / Her function -- Motherhood!
Is motherhood a trade you make / A living by? / And does the wealth you so may use, / Squander, accumulate, abuse, / Show motherhood as high?
What this Textopian page supports
The Malingerer (the Forerunner) is listed on Textopian as a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, dated 1894 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Date: 1894 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Drama, Psychological Fiction, Social issues
- Length: 275 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Malingerer (the Forerunner) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Similar titles
- Limits by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- As Flew The Cross by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Females by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Similar Cases by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- A Moonrise by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Waste by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Genres
- Fiction — The plot and storyline are crafted by the author, involving characters and scenarios that don't exist in real life.
- Drama — The story involves conflict among characters and portrays varying emotions and moods.
- Psychological Fiction — The book has an emphasis on interior characterization, and the motives, circumstances, and internal action of characters which is crucial to the plot.
- Social issues — There's a recurring theme concerning societal challenges and the characters often confront moral problems and societal injustices.
Tags
mental health · feminism · society · gender roles · psychological drama · isolation · identity · social critique · women's rights · narrative style · 19th century · literary analysis