The horror/fantasy genre is a misogynistic place. For centuries, women have been oppressed by men's ideas of what a woman should be: domestic, obedient, married, and lower on the totem pole. Women are trapped in their environment. In "The Haunting of Hill House", Eleanor can't bear to leave the house. There is an innate fear of women that helps create these horrific stories. Although there are very few stories that empower women, Gilman's "Yellow Wallpaper" is a story that does. Gilman even said herself that this story was intended to "keep people from going crazy." This story is even more of an example, as it is heavily based on Ms. Gilman's own struggles. Stories like Freeman's "Luella Miller" only instill the misogynistic attitudes that writers like Gilman try to overcome in this genre. Little improvement has been made, because even in modern times, women are oppressed by their gender roles. Overall, our patriarchal society exercises its dominance through fiction by making us despise and fear a woman who is not the ideal woman, a woman who is not submissive at all costs. It is undeniable that the horror genre is riddled with misogynistic morals and ideals. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, society has been patriarchal. The man is the head of the house, the breadwinner, the hero. These are the men who leave the house, live outside and breathe fresh air. In the past, they were the only ones allowed to vote. The United States, the cradle of democracy, still does not have a female president. It’s the men who get promoted, the ones in higher jobs, the ones who are more appreciated in the workplace. Needless to say, since men run things, of course women will... middle of paper...... utearn Women - TIME. " Time.com. April 20, 2010. Web. March 02, 2010. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, and Julie Bates. Dock. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and the History of Its Publication and Reception: An Edition review and a collection of documentary cases, University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State UP, 1998. Print. Jackson, Shirley. The Haunting of Hill House New York: Penguin, 2006. Print. Merriman, CD "Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Biography and works. Search for texts, read online. Discuss." The Literature Network: Classic Literature Online, Poems, and Quotes. Essays and Summaries. 2006. Web. February 25, 2011. .Straub, Peter. American Fantasy Tales: Terror and Strangeness from the 1940s to the Present. New York: Library of America, 2009. Print.