The Yellow Wallpaper Feminist Analysis Essay

According to Gilbert and Gubar she is “mad” only by society’s standards, and, more importantly, that she is, in fact, moving into “the open spaces of her own authority” (91). This interpretation seems to just touch on the many social issues the narrator experiences. Keeping the narrator anonymous is one of the key themes to show the reader who the woman really is, because of the assumption at the beginning of her status in society and in her marriage to a prominent doctor. Her husband John does not even acknowledge his wife may have any mental problems and all attempts for the woman to tell him fail. For as she in desperation states “John laughs at me about this wallpaper” (Gilman 803). Thus, if the woman can expect to get laughed at in her marriage, it would be impossible for her to actually talk to her husband, much less convince him to change his diagnosis of her, especially because he is “so wise” and a physician (Gilman 806). Indeed, male-dominant opinion becomes even more prevalent when it seems that all three different men in the story are all close to her and all prescribe the same “rest cure” for her. However, she seems to “disagree with their ideas”, for as she lucidly states, “Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change would do me good” (Gilman 801).

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in which she describes the treatment of a woman diagnosed with a nervous disorder by her doctor and is prescribed the “rest cure.” The story describes the submissive, childlike obedience of women to men that was considered typical at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the story, there are many symbols that highlight women’s infantilization within marriage and a sexist society. The symbolism of the wallpaper and the woman trapped within it are essential for the message of Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”.

In the second part of the sentence, it seems as though the woman doesn't want to believe what her husband is telling her thus setting the stage for her rebellion. All her husband wants her to do is rest and sleep: he even suppresses her creative talent by not allowing her to write. She is in constant fear of being caught by her husband; "I must put this away, -he hates to have me write a word." It seems as though John is being more of a father than a husband and because of this, she feels that she should be a "good girl" and appreciate what he is doing for her even though she knows that his diagnosis is killing her. "He takes all care from me, and I feel so basely ungrateful not to value it more...He took me in his arms and called me blessed little goose..." This is a clear indication of someone trying to run another person's life. By him not allowing her to write he is causing her depression to worsen. If she had been "allowed" to come and go as she pleased, her depression may have lifted: "I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve, the press of ideas and rest me." Her husband is suppressing the one major outlet that will help her get better in her seclusion, "writing." By absolutely forbidding her to work until she is well again he is imprisoning her and causing her depression. John has made her a prisoner not only in their home but also in

First, if the wallpaper stands for a new vision of women, why is the narrator tearing it down? Next, how can it be a ‘representation of women that becomes possible only after women obtain their right to speak,’ if it grows more vivid as the narrator becomes less verbal? Moreover, if the narrator comes into her own through the wallpaper, then why does she become more and more a victim of male diagnosis as she becomes further engaged

The initial description of this woman is of her “stooping down and creeping about.” The woman in the wallpaper is a direct reflection of the narrator’s confidence and feelings of inferiority, and the change they undergo. Initially, the woman in the wall symbolizes the narrator’s fear of presenting herself and her opinions, and being her husband’s equal.

In Charlotte Perkins “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which was published in 1892, the author explores the gender ideologies of the time period and how women were seen as inferior, resulting in unfair treatment in cases even involving their personal health. The main character, who is a woman named Jane, is led to insanity due to the unsuitable treatment received for her depression, but the insanity she goes into symbolizes a revelation. As she progresses into this insanity, the author ties in the discovery the main character makes of the hidden figure in the wallpaper to a woman making the discovery of how the oppressions and limitations women face must be challenged and changed in order to escape the lifestyle which keeps them imprisoned to the

In keeping with her husband's rest cure, Jane continues to chase her obsessive fantasy project of helping the trapped woman get out of the wallpaper. Jane wants

As of yet, the connections between the wallpaper and the narrator aren’t easily visible, but soon it becomes much more apparent. Very quickly, the story shifts. She now sees a woman behind the wallpaper. “it is like a woman stooping around and creeping about behind that pattern. I

The wallpaper became the narrator's best friend and enemy as she began to unravel the pattern's secret. The ripping of the wallpaper is a representation of the narrator escaping the treatment of society, her husband along with the suffering he has put her through. As an attempt to fight against the illness that controls her, she questions whether her husband, who is a doctor, prescribed treatment is right for her sickness. Though she has fully persuaded herself that John's treatment is harmful, she lacks self-esteem due to her unequal role in society. She develops the characteristics of a child and becomes fascinated by the patterns hidden within the wallpaper. John never took the time to listen to his wife cry for his support and understanding.

The heroine’s attitude towards the yellow wallpaper has changed over the story. She hated it at first, then noticed that the wallpaper could move, and she thought a woman was trapped behind the wallpaper. The way how the heroine thought about her family and the society has also changed at the same time. Instead of being controlled and destroyed under gender discrimination and male chauvinism, the heroine chose to break through all restraints from the society and fight for her freedom at the end. She “didn’t like it a bit (Gilman, P77)” so she tore all the wallpaper, liberated the woman behind it. She crept out of the room before she getting a breakdown and she told her husband and Jenni that they could not put her back anymore. John’s faint symbolized the collapse of the patriarchal society under the rule of

The wallpaper’s design begins to bother Jane and she thinks the woman goes out during the day and comes back at night to shake the wallpaper. On the last day before they move, Jane decides to tear off all the wallpaper

Reflecting upon their role in society, women in literature are often portrayed in a position

With most of the story taking place in a room. it is clear that feminist views are further stressed through Jane’s surroundings. Her environment is almost prison-like; when Jane wishes for the walls to be repapered, her husband refuses, stating “that after the wall-paper was

Throughout the Victorian era, women were viewed as secondary, dependent on men, and only capable of handling domestic duties. Women could not perform certain actions, such as voting, or go in public without their husband’s consent; women were controlled and concealed by social standards set by men. In the same way, the mysterious woman-like figure in the wallpaper is trapped by the pattern. Once the narrator becomes fascinated with the patterns on the wall, she discovers that the front pattern moves at night becomes the woman inside shakes it trying to escape. The narrator writes that “she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody could climb through that pattern---it strangles so” (Gilman 388). With this quote, Gilman suggests that the wallpaper is holding the figure captive, just as men hindered women from reaching their full potential in the nineteenth-century. Once the narrator notices the woman in the paper, she was determined to set the figure free. The woman in the wall “began to crawl and shake the pattern” (Gilman 389), so the narrator helps the woman peel the paper off the walls to set her free. The narrator begins to characterize herself with the woman in the wall because of the confinement and oppression from her husband and believes that she

Jane looks at him and declares, “I’ve got out at last in spite of you and Jane! And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!” (86). At this point John fainted and Jane had to creep over him (86). John becomes exactly what he is trying to prevent his wife from coming. He viewed Jane’s femininity as a weakness and tried to do everything in his power to make sure she was rested and did not push herself too hard. Yet, John was the one who fainted, which is usually considered a predominantly feminine trait. His fainting demonstrates the fragility of masculinity. John ends up representing his own hidden femininity when he faints. It is often considered the job of the man of the family to be strong and to protect the weaker sex. John’s fainting ends up proving that both men and women can experience high levels of distress when something serious happens. John treats Jane like she is fragile and breakable, but it seems like he is just as fragile and breakable, if not more so. Even though John ignores Jane when she tells him what she thinks would be better for herself John is also denying himself the ability to show compassion to his struggling wife. By treating his wife like she is unable to acknowledge her own needs John becomes shocked when Jane descends into madness. If he had only listened