27 October 1892

Censorship Committee

New England Magazine Inc.

209 Union Wharf

Boston, MA 02109

  

The Censorship Committee,

As a member of the National Organization of Women, I believe I can speak on behalf of the organization when I say that NOW is offended and outraged with the Censorship Committee’s decision to refuse publication of Charlotte Perkins-Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

The decision to refuse publication of Mrs. Gillman’s work is a direct insult to women all around the world. The refusal is undoubtedly an act of oppression of women’s rights. Gillman’s work illuminates a dark world for women all around the world. She recognizes the roles that women play in the world and in their own settings. She merely sheds light on the hidden struggles of women in the 19^th Century. As a Committee surely comprised of men, you are blinded by superiority, that you cannot see the important roles that your wives, sisters, and mothers’ play in your everyday lives. We, the women of America and all around the world; care for our husbands and children; feed them; clean after them; provide a comfortable living for them. We pour love into everything we do, and sweat devotion into everything we make. So why is it that women, who act as the foundation in which a household is built on, are treated as if we are children; unable to form; let alone understand complex ideas and statements. Why must women’s growth be hindered by the frightened men that claim to take care of us?

Perhaps you, the members of the Censorship Committee hold the same sadistic pleasure of oppressing women as did Silas Weir Mitchell, with his “Rest Cure.” Gillman was a victim of Mitchell’s rest cure. She was placed in a Philadelphia asylum for depression, forced into a solitary world, isolated from family and friends. Now I don’t know about you gentlemen, but I have never been cured of anything when I am fighting a disease alone. Fighting something as serious as depression is no laughing matter. Mitchell may preach that his rest cure, allows women to avoid negative influences, while allowing them to gain strength in order to better health; however, this is all a ruse. By stripping women of all outside contact; denying them the right to read, write, or speak to their family and friends; they are slowly breaking women’s spirits, and pushing them to the brink of insanity. My question to you “gentle” men is why must you be so cruel, and so hesitant to give women a chance to reach their full potential?

Society tells us that women should be home-makers. We should be at home cooking, cleaning, staying beautiful for our husbands, and welcoming them once they get home. Gentlemen, have you ever taken the time to think about the hard work your wives and mothers put into the things that make you happy? And to be forced into a world of silence and obedience, you would have woman no better than domesticated animals, petting them when they have done good. But do women not have a voice? Times are changing and it’s time that we recognize that women are strong beings, fully capable of abstract thoughts and hard work. We must move away from old traditions and work towards an Egalitarian society, because it is these old foundations that are driving women mad. You must understand that Gillman is only speaking on behalf of women who suffer with the tyrants that run their everyday lives. You may censor her, but you cannot censor a population that is greater than your own, for one day they will revolt. Now you may be deeply offended by this letter; however, this is only a faint whisper in an oncoming roar that will be the voice of women everywhere.

Sincerely,

Desiree Solórzano