The Role Of John In The Yellow Wallpaper

"The Yellow Wallpaper" tells the story of a woman living in the nineteenth century who suffers from postpartum depression. The true meaning implicit in Charlotte's story goes beyond a simple psychological speculation. The story consists of a series of cleverly constructed short paragraphs, in which the author illustrates, through the unnamed protagonist's experiences, the possible outcome of women's acceptance of men's supposed intellectual superiority. The rigid social norms of the nineteenth century, characterized by oppression and discrimination against women, are supposedly among the causes of the protagonist's depression. However, it is her husband's tyrannical attitude what ultimately

Her husband restrains her from any social, physical and mental activity and allows little room for personal input or fulfillment. Longing for a voice and an emotional outlet, she begins writing in a secret journal, which she describes as a relief to her mind, also saying that her husband would think it absurd, but that she must write in it; it is her only outlet for what she feels and thinks (Gilman 340, 345). John exemplifies his role in society by being such a domineering force and keeping his wife constrained both physically and mentally, mentally being the worst for the protagonist.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “Feminism is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” Today there are millions of feminists, compared to the 1900's, where feminism was very seldom. During the early 1900’s, slavery and the domestication of women (no matter what race they were), was very common. Beginning in

The arabesque pattern of the yellow wallpaper in the novel symbolizes both a barrier, where the male-dominated society entraps the narrator’s creativity, as well as the many societal roles that women are supposed to take on that provided no end or shelter for the narrator’s mental health.

When The Yellow Wallpaper was published in 1892 the first wave of feminism was occurring, which probably had an influence on Gilman’s attitude and writing. Women’s desire to have more opportunities and being able to vote are the main characteristics of first-wave feminism. The rebellion against domesticity also played an important role in the movement as it created an uproar when women started to act “unladylike” (Rampton, 2015). Further, Gilman indirectly criticizes the men’s reaction to the feminism wave in The Yellow Wallpaper. The husband in the story clearly wants to ensure that his wife doesn’t begin to act out by belittling her, keeping her domestic, and making sure she stays under his control. He denies her requests to change the room or to let her visit family, teaching her that she doesn’t actually have a choice. Hence, it is a prime example of the suppression of women in the 19th

(320). That statement farther indicates the oppression by the husband, which bring more insight into the feminist traits of the story. Haney-Peritz, another literary critic, states this, "As a memorial, "The Yellow Wallpaper" is used to remind contemporary readers of the enduring import of the struggle against patriarchal domination; while as a boundary marker, it is used to demarcate the territory appropriate to a feminist literary criticism" (Haney-Peritz.) With this evidence, it can be further seen that how the husbands words and actions provide farther depth into the symbolism of the story. According to Shawn St. Jean, "Many critics have noted that the narrator's descriptions of the wallpaper suggest the 'front pattern' of patriarchy strangling the creeping women

Today, women are hasty to have equal roles with their spouses as well as other men in the society. A marriage in today’s society consists of women wanting just as much authority as any male in the house unlike the couple in The Yellow Wallpaper. The narrator states, “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.” The woman truly believes that John has the right to not take her seriously and then becomes slightly afraid. In one entry she wrote, “The fact is I am getting a little afraid of John.” She lessens her self-esteem and morals because she believes it is expected. If this were to be expected in today’s marriages most women would not have husbands at all. Earlier generations are born to think everyone, gay or straight, man or woman, rich or poor, should take on equal roles and not expect to be less than the other. Who actually wants to feel like it is normal for their spouse to laugh at their beliefs? From a woman’s stand point the narrator truly is oppressed by the orders of John. The narrator keeps her words and thoughts to herself in a diary and most woman back in that time period did the same as her. Today, most doctors don’t show sexist opinions on medical conditions nor the cure for them. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator’s husband is also her physician so the medical attention stays within their household and never gets much of an outside opinion and that is what makes the woman so oppressed by her husband’s

John displays tendencies of an old school mentality of being dominate of his wife and having her be obedient towards his commands. He looks at his wife as being inferior in their relationship. Early in the story the narrator states "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage" John does not take the thoughts of his wife as being serious and shows that he believes her intelligence and thoughts to be inferior. He mocks her by laughing at her and does not take what she says serious until the end of the story when it is simply too late to listen. The quote also displays the obedience

He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.” (Gilman 528) Here we see Johns assumption of being superior to his wife leads him to misjudge her situation. Throughout the story John patronizes his wife all while he believes he is trying to help her by doing so. The narrator acts like a subordinate child, she has no say in what happens to her or in her life.

In the story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the character, John, can be depicted by the word ‘controlling’ as well as many other words used for diction to develop a character’s mind set. In the beginning of the story, as the married couple and child moves in for the sake of the narrator’s nervousness, the narrator claims to the reasoning that she is a burden to her husband, John. “I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!” says the narrator (Gilman). The diction word, comparative, means “of or relating to opinion” (Dictionary.com), which meant that the wife was not only a burden but one that was troublesome compared to other objects, like their child. This

The narrator admits that her husband “has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures” (Gilman 1892). Conversely, John acknowledges his wife’s “imaginative power and habit of story-making” (Gilman 1892). They clearly have opposing personalities that cause them difficulties in understanding each other. Furthermore, it is generally agreed upon that “personality is shaped by early life experiences and tend to stay stable over time” (Vitelli 2015). Therefore, even if John tried to understand his wife, he would never fully succeed.

He takes her mental illness and makes it seem as though she is insane, this mindset and having constantly reassuring her that all is fine as long as she listens to everything he says makes her slowly believe that she is truly unwell and she must do all that she can to stay “sane” and satisfy him. This is evident in the passage when Gilman states “He said I was his darling and his comfort and all that he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well, he says no one but myself can help me out of it; that I must use my will and self control and not let any silly fancies run away with me” (Gilman 665). This proves that John manipulated the narrator making her believe that there is something wrong with her, that she needed to be fixed, and that she must do all that she can in order to keep John pleased and content. The narrator has this mentality at first, but as she becomes more and more fixated on the yellow wallpaper she begins to slowly break free. She begins to imagine a woman behind the wallpaper trapped and this symbolizes the narrator and her relationship with John. Gilman states in the passage “Then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard and she is all the time trying to climb through” (Gilman 668). This symbolizes the narrator and how she is confined and not being able to break free from her husband, this woman behind the wallpaper is a representation of the narrator and the life she

John demonstrates the power of male to stop his wife’s complaints. John holds resolutely to the conventional lines of the marriage plot and produces authority out of a distanced and ironic critique of women diseases. Janice Peritz stated in her journal that, ‘’Author, Williams Howell, had nothing to say about the provocative feminism of Gilman’s text after he added her short story to his collection which caused Gilman’s story to be completely ignored’’. Gilman makes a strong statement about males in society during her time period. The men are portrayed to really see women as children more than as individuals. The dominance of men is undeniable, ‘’ He does not believe I’m sick’’. The narrator has lost control to decide is she’s sick or not, which is one of the most basic things a person can determine. The narrator stated, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression, what is one to do?” Gilman portrays that women ‘‘invented” their emotional illnesses in order to attract attention and sympathy of other relatives. It is possible to say that male physicians prefer to find any excuse not to treat psychological disorders seeing them unimportant and even “imaginary”. The typical male makes his wife a conformist by enforcing his

To begin with, one can analyze “The Yellow Wallpaper” by examining the aspect of dialogue through the male perspective. Gilman makes a strong statement about males in society during her time period. The men are portrayed to really see women as children more than as individuals. This is made clear when the Narrator says, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression- - slight hysterical tendency- - what is one to do?” (Gilman). Gilman shows the male perspective through dialogue because the Narrator explains that no matter what she says her husband shrugs away her illness. He strongly believes that his wife is being overly dramatic and that nothing is wrong. The typical male makes his wife a conformist by enforcing his beliefs on her. The husband truly believes that nothing is wrong with his wife so he ignores the problem and adds to his wife’s illness. The Narrator also falls victim to oppression through derogatory names on behalf of her husband. This is made clear when the husband interacts with the Narrator, “The he took me in his arms and called me a blessed little goose, and said he would go down to the cellar, if I wished , and have it Whitewashed into the bargain” (Gilman). The key phrase in the quote is “little goose”, the husband treats his wife like a child and speaks to her as such. This shows how much intelligence the husband thinks his wife has. He degrades his wife by using terms that one would typically use to speak to little

Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. While generally providing a critique of social relations, many proponents of feminism also focus on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues.