The Powerful Male Authority

Where is the man who has the power and skill to stem the torrent of a women's will? - Unknown On the pages of the short stories "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Hills Like White Elephants" the control and power that men had over women is reflected in the conflicts women of these stories face. The male - female connection has evolved with the demands of time. Presently, in North America, women dominate corporate towers and …

…and 19th centuries were the children and men made their decisions no matter what the impact on the women was. It was useful for both of these authors to use women that were at breaking points and were susceptible to the control of the men in their lives. Hemingway and Gilman used these submissive women so the reader is able to understand the extremity to which men had control over how women lived their lives.