Explain feminism and clarify how Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," Tillie Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing," and Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" are literary representations of feminism. Mention, at minimum, two detailed examples from each of the two writings that demonstrate the feminist style. Pertaining to these writings, how do race and class obscure the "womanist" effort or journey?

Feminism is a movement which involves the idea that women are equal to men and should be given the same freedoms, respect, and opportunities.
Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" concerns a woman who is confined to a room to rest after she is diagnosed by her physician husband as having a "nervous depression." She is not allowed to work or write or do anything that will supposedly worsen her condition. The irony is that her lack of freedom and oppressive lifestyle are the source of her struggles. For example, she states that her husband's treatment of her is kind but ultimately confining:

He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction.

This represents the idea that women of the time were not given the freedom to choose their lifestyles and that their behavior was often controlled by the men in their lives.
As the narrator in this story is kept confined to her room most of the day, she begins to imagine that a woman is trapped behind bars in the wallpaper. This woman that struggles to be free represents the idea of feminine oppression. Feminists claim that as long as women are not given freedom, they will suffer psychologically, emotionally, and physically.
In Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing," the feminist struggle is seen through many lenses, but the feminine physical ideal is given special significance. Olsen's story revolves around a mother and her children. The narrative focuses a lot of attention on one daughter, Emily, who is withdrawn and sullen due to her appearance. Emily is described as "thin and dark and foreign-looking." Emily's appearance presents an external conflict because "every little girl was supposed to look or thought she should look a chubby blond replica of Shirley Temple." Feminists often argue that women are unfairly forced by society to look or act or behave in certain ways. If, for example, women are not beautiful or complimentary or charming, they are an object of scorn and ridicule. Feminists say that women should be able to be appreciated for who they are, not what they look like.
In addition, Olsen's story also shows the struggles of a single mother to support her children. In the past, women's job opportunities and money-making potential were limited, so it was especially hard to raise and provide for a family alone. This issue of inequality in the job world is another issue on which feminists focus.
Walker's "Everyday Use" concerns the feminist view that women are as strong and capable as men. It also forwards the idea that being a woman is about more than good looks and charm. In this story, the mother is the perfect opposite of society's views of a woman. She describes herself as a "large, big-boned woman with rough, man working hands." She also says she can "kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man." This character proves that women are strong individuals and should be treated as such. The idea of women's oppression is also echoed in the story through the issue of racial oppression. For example, Dee gives herself an African name to use instead of the name she was born with because she can't bear "being named after the people who oppress" her.
Even though women of all classes and races experience oppression for their gender, those who are poor or of color feel sexism's limiting effects even more deeply. Feminists seek to work to change society's notions of what it means to be a woman so that women everywhere—and of all races and classes—can act and live happily and prosperously.