Pursuit of Dreams

The pursuit of dreams plays a large role in Gilman's short stories, rejecting the attempts to oppress her female characters by allowing them to pursue their interests. The unnamed narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" dreams of freedom, and in her mentally unstable state, she achieves this by removing the wallpaper from her room to free the woman behind it, herself. John's fainting at the end can also be construed as his wife murdering him, thus suggesting another way that she obtains her freedom and achieves her dream.

In "Three Thanksgivings," Mrs. Delia Morrison dreams of financial security without being forced to marry Mr. Peter Butts, and she is able to chase her dreams by opening the Haddleton Rest and Improvement Club for Ladies, earning enough money to repay her debt and make a profit without succumbing to an unwelcome marriage.

Malda, from "The Cottagette...