The Yellow Wallpaper

Many intellectual artists, who are widely acclaimed for their literary work, live in a world characterized by “progressive insanity” (Gilman 20). Charlotte Perkins Gilman was one such individual. A writer during the early 20th century, Gilman suffered from bouts of deep depression, due part to her dissatisfaction with the limitations of her role as wife and mother. Her writing, particularly her famous story “The Yellow Wallpaper” reflects experiences from her personal life. In doing so, “she achieved some control over both her illness and her past” (Lane 128). Many people still admire the fact that Gilman wrote her piece “to save people from being driven crazy;” however, perhaps she

“The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is gothic psychological short story written in journal-style with first-person narrative. Other elements used in the story are symbols, irony, foreshadowing, and imagery. “The Yellow Wallpaper is about a woman who suffers from postpartum depression. Her husband, a physician, puts her on “rest cure of quiet and solitude.” (Wilson 278). This cure consisted of the narrator being confined to rest in one room and forbidden to do any physical work, read, write, or have any other type of mental stimulation. She secretly kept a journal to write in. The wallpaper in the room irritated the narrator to the point of her asking her

“The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892, is a great example of early works pertaining to feminism and the disease of insanity. Charlotte Gilman’s own struggles as a woman, mother, and wife shine through in this short story capturing the haunting realism of a mental breakdown.The main character, much like Gilman herself, slips into bouts of depression after the birth of her child and is prescribed a ‘rest cure’ to relieve the young woman of her suffering. Any use of the mind or source of stimulus is strictly prohibited, including the narrator’s favorite hobby of writing. The woman’s husband, a physician, installs into his wife that the rest treatment is correct and will only due harm if not followed through. This type of treatment ultimately drives the woman insane, causing her to envision a woman crawling behind the yellow wallpaper of her room. Powerlessness and repression the main character is subject to creates an even more poignant message through the narrator’s mental breakdown. The ever present theme of subordination of women in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is advanced throughout the story by the literary devices of symbolism, imagery, and allegory.

The surroundings which one is placed in can drastically contribute to their mental state. Deterioration and a lack of stimulation will be reciprocated within the mind of the inhabitant. “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892, depicts a young, unnamed woman who is suffering with post-partum depression. In this time period, the treatment of mental illness typically did more harm than good as electroshock therapy, and the rest cure were the classic treatments of choice. Similarly, William Faulkner, the author of “A Rose for Emily”, written in 1930, gives the reader an inside look upon an elderly woman experiencing mental distress. Although there are major signs of an issue being present within Miss Emily’s old, southern house, the town chooses to ignore and cover them up as to not disrupt the elderly woman who buys poisons without a reason and sleeps next to the dead corpse of her lover. Theme and setting play two very distinct and important roles within each of these stories allowing the reader to have a more complete understanding of the message the author is trying to convey.

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, The Yellow Wallpaper, the setting is very symbolic when analyzing the different the meanings of this book. The main character in the story is sick with nervous depression. In the story, John, her husband, and also a physician, takes his wife to a house in the middle of the summer and confines her to one room in hopes of perfect rest for her. As the story progresses, it is made clear that confinement, sanity, insanity, and freedom are all tied together and used to make the setting of the story symbolic.

“The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Gilman is a chilling portrayal of a woman’s downward spiral towards madness after undergoing treatment for postpartum depression in the 1800’s. The narrator, whose name remains nameless, represents the hundreds of middle to upper- class women who were diagnosed with “hysteria” and prescribed a “rest” treatment. Although Gilman’s story was a heroic attempt to “save people from being driven crazy” (Gilman p 1) by this type of “cure” it was much more. “The Yellow Wallpaper” opened the eyes of many to the apparent oppression of women in the 1800’s and “possibly the only way they could (unconsciously) resist or protest their traditional ‘feminine’

The narrator’s varying stately yet fervent tone illustrates her obligatory feelings as well as her true emotions regarding her husband and lifestyle through her descriptions of the “nursery” where she is confined (Gilman, 648). John, since he is both her husband and doctor, “hardly lets [her] stir without special direction,” characteristic of patriarchs of the family; he also “laughs at [her], of course, but one one expects that in marriage.” (Gilman, 648 and 647). Since the narrator feels

In the nineteenth century, women in literature were often portrayed as submissive to men. Literature of the period often characterized women as oppressed by society, as well as by the male influences in their lives. "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents the tragic story of a woman's descent into depression and madness because of this oppression.

In the story, the narrator’s concerns are constantly being dismissed by her husband, John. Due to the fact that he is a man and a physician, he is held in high esteem within society; therefore, he

If we are to believe our mothers, we are aware that time heals all wounds. Everyone feels sad or low sometimes, but these feelings usually pass with time. When one starts to experience these feelings of feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, or worthlessness for longer than two weeks, it is likely that they suffer from depression. Depression is a mood disorder that causes symptoms that affect how we feel, think, and handle daily activities. Due to its widespread occurrence, scientists have been searching for an effective treatment for this mood disorder for decades. During the late 1800s, one of the treatment options available for those suffering with depression and other nervous illnesses was the rest cure. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s

The narrator of the story who is the main character and unnamed, this symbolizes her significance as if she unimportant or a nonfactor especially for the era that this story takes place where women were not equal to men and often isolated to the home during illness and to raise the family. The narrator is aware of her husband John’s behavior towards her and her illness. She from the beginning doesn’t trust John her husband

Stuffed animals may help to console a fussy child into a soothing sleep, while an inspiring story told by a veteran grandparent may encourage a timid student enough to successfully complete a classroom speech. Personal possessions, whether tangible or not, can have the profound effect on the owner of helping him or her to cope with uncontrollable life events. The short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman depicts the tumultuous life of narrating character, referred to as Jane, whose attempts to hold onto things around her to prevent her declining mental state. The story is set in the late 1800’s, subjecting Jane and her husband, John, to the misconception of roles as women to be subordinate and men to dominate adds to the burden of ignorance over women’s health and welfare. Furthermore, Jane clings to her sparse possessions as desperate attempts to gain control over herself, while John holds onto items which support his pursuits of exerting control over others.

The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman captivates the audience into the psyche of a young mother and wife through journal entries. The wife has been confined to her room for a cure to her depression. As the women remains in the room, she becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper that borders the room. She experiences hallucinations that come because of the wallpaper. Gilman’s story shows the struggle of women’s independence and individuality towards the rise of feminism and an indication towards her own life and experiences through the point of view of the wife in the story.

The standing that women have had in the past was so bad that often times they were deemed less than their counterparts. May a times a woman’s intuition of themselves were ignored, because the male doctors were certain they were the ones correct not the females. In the time period in which physiological heath was relatively new, certain diagnostics would have been overlooked and patient were given the wrong type of help they need, especially woman that often times knew they had something different. Other times if a woman desired to do something they had to ask there significant other, if they were refused they had to refrain themselves from asking again. As it was in the case in the story made by Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper”, in which a young mother opinions and wants were all but ignored. A question that some people have while reading the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” was if the young woman was suffering from oppression or depression. However one might feel that she might be subject to both, it is more than clear that depression is the higher factor involved here. Depression can be defined like an example given Merriam-Webster “by a state of feeling sad : dejection (2) : a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies” The emphasis of

During the 19th century European and American women lived during a time in which was characterized by gender inequality. In the beginning of the century, women enjoyed only a few of the legal, social, or political rights that we now take for granted: they could not vote, and were barred from institutions of higher education. Women were expected to remain obedient to their fathers and husbands. Occupational choices were also tremendously limited. Middle- and upper-class women generally remained home, caring for their children and running the home. Lower-class women often did work outside the home, but usually as poorly-paid domestic servants or laborers in factories or mills. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s essay The Yellow Wallpaper addressed and portrayed these many issues that women faced during this time.