The home is the centre and circumference, the start and the finish, of most of our lives.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanRead
Woman" in the abstract is young, and, we assume, charming. As they get older they pass off the stage, somehow, into private ownership mostly, or out of it altogether.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques societal perceptions of women as they age, emphasizing their diminishing visibility and value in public life.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's quote reflects on the societal tendency to idealize women in their youth while neglecting their experiences and contributions as they age. It points out how women often become less visible and valued in public spaces as they grow older, suggesting a problematic view of womanhood that confines women to private, domestic roles instead of recognizing their ongoing worth in society.
Themes
WomenAgingSocietyVisibilityValueIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a women's rights discussion to illustrate societal biases.
More from Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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We all need one another; much and often. Just as every human creature needs a place to be alone in, a sacred, private "home" of his own, so all human creatures need a place to be together in, from the two who can show each other their souls uninterruptedly, to the largest throng that can throb and stir in unison.
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Death is the essential condition of life, not an evil.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanRead
When the mother of the race is free, we shall have a better world, by the easy right of birth and by the calm, slow, friendly forces of evolution.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanRead
The children in this country are the one center and focus of all our thoughts. Every step of our advance is always considered in its effect on them-on the race. You see, we are MOTHERS, she repeated, as if in that she had said it all.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanRead
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