The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is about a woman driven insane by postpartum depression and a dangerous treatment. Nevertheless, when you study the protagonist, it shows that the story is more about finding the protagonist’s identity. The protagonist’s proposes of an imaginary woman, which at first, is just her shadow against the bars of the wallpaper. The pattern shows her identity, expressing the conflict that she experiences and eventually leads her to a complete breakdown of what is her identity and that of the imaginary shadow.

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.

In the 1950’s, women weren’t respected for doing anything besides being an outstanding wife and mother. Women and men weren’t on the same level when it came to rights in the eyes of the law. Also during this time, mental illnesses were not accurately researched, and since doctors weren’t fully aware of all the information about mental illnesses, patients did not always get the best treatment and were treated as freaks. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, both of these elements are present. Gilman did a wonderful job portraying how women are not taken seriously and how lightly mental illnesses are taken. Gilman had, too, had firsthand experience with the physician in the story. Charlotte Perkins Gilman 's believes that there really was no difference in means of way of thinking between men or women is strongly. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story about a woman who has a mental illness but cannot heal due to her husband 's lack of belief. The story appears to happen during a time period where women were mistreated. Women were treated as second rate people in community during this time period. Charlotte Perkins Gilman shows the thought process of the community during the time period in which “The Yellow Wallpaper” is written. Using knowledge on equal rights between women and men, one can carefully study “The Yellow Wallpaper” by

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” she discusses some of the issues found in 19th century society such as women’s oppression and the treatment of mental illness. Many authors throughout history have written stories that mimic their own lives and we see this in the story. We see Gilman in the story portrayed as Jane, a mentally unstable housewife who cannot escape her husband’s oppression or her own mind. Gilman reveals a life of depression and women’s oppression through her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

The unequal relationship between the narrator and John is a miniature of the larger gender inequity in society. Gilman makes it clear that much of John’s condescending and paternal behavior toward his wife has little to do with her illness. He dismisses her well-thought-out opinions and her “flights of fancy” with equal disdain, while he demeans her creative impulses. He speaks of her as he would a child, calling her his “little girl” and saying of her, “Bless her little heart.” He overrides her judgments on the best course of treatment for herself as he would on any issue, making her live in a house she does not like, in a room she detests, and in an isolated environment, which makes her unhappy and

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s brilliant work, The Yellow Wallpaper, readers explore the consequences of the ignorance of mental health, as well Gilman’s underlying message of the restriction of women, in nineteenth century America. The author of this story doesn’t want readers to focus on the progression of the woman when realizing her real situation, but in my opinion, how Gilman comments with this piece of fiction to the real oppression of women, and lack of weight Medicine held on the patient 's opinions in Charlotte’s society.

“The Yellow Wallpaper” By Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a woman 's slow spiral to insanity as she is forced into a mundane, repressive lifestyle by her husband and Doctor. Throughout history inequality has been a prominent political and social issue. Inequality is seen in many aspects of society, such as class, race, and gender. Gender inequality is an issue that has been relevant throughout our history yet only become a true fight near the start of the 20th century. Men and women are forced to play different roles in society. Men are generally seen as the leader of the family, the job holder, and the usual recipients of social and political respect, while women are seen as the home make with the menial roles. Men were respected and seen as superior to women. The fight for gender equality has challenged these traditional roles, women 's place in society has changed since then, but not without a little help. Influential writers, such as Charlotte perkins Gilman 's have helped pave the way for equal rights through their powerful literature. In this story, we see how mistreated women are and the psychological effect that a patriarchal society can have. Gilman explores the female condition during the late 19th century through symbolic and profound literary themes that relate to the treatment of women.

With John being a “physician of high standing” (Gilman), his role in the diagnosis of the narrator supports the claim of the stereotypical woman of the household being a “domestic slave” (Treichler) to the head of the household, who is stereotypically considered a man. John uses his medical diagnosis to exert control over his wife by telling her how she is to perceive, process, and act in her life. The female narrator, at first, is compliant with his orders. However, by her continuous action of writing in her journal, she defies John’s course of treatment. She must be sly about her writing for “John will not allow her to gain possession of her own language” (Suess). The narrator knows the circumstances of what writing in her journal entails, but to gain control of her own life is worth the cost so that her husband will no longer have control over her.

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” she explores the world of madness, torture, and imprisonment. In the story, the narrator is suppressed by her husband and his ‘‘superior wisdom,’’ leading to the loss of her sanity. Although it seems as though her husband is trying to help her, in actuality, his methods of healing her are detrimental to her health, both emotionally and mentally. The destruction of her sanity in relation to his attempt to help her are strategically illustrated by Gilman throughout the story.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman starts “The Yellow Wallpaper” with the narrative of a character in first person perspective. Gilman writes in a style and attitude that is reflective of the character 's feelings towards her current situation. The character’s doctor who is coincidentally her husband decided it was best to move her into a remote house for some time away to get plenty of rest and to heal mentally. The character was moved into a nursery that was covered with yellow wallpaper and as time passed the character started to go insane from the seclusion. The character in the story describes her relationship with her husband, John, while explaining how she feels towards him after he excluded her. The character’s sanity transforms into an irrational mentality after her attitude transitions from positive to negative, from her husband’s condescending tone and excessive control, and when she is left constantly alone in seclusion causing her to hallucinate.

The narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an unnamed woman. She recently had a child and is going through post-partum depression. Her and her family decided to get away for the summer and stay at a mansion. John, her husband, decides to put her in the room upstairs to keep her away from stressful occasions and upsetting events so she can relax. She writes in her journal daily, and begins to slowly go into psychosis without any incentive. The room her husband put her in has yellow wallpaper, and she becomes highly obsessed with the patterns and figures in the wallpaper. She starts to believe the woman in the pattern is trying to escape and be free. The narrator tries to help

treats her like a child and just like a child she is kept in this

Her brother is also a physician and is also, obviously male. He agrees with her husband and so there is definitely nothing she can do as there is a two on one situation. Throughout the early stages of the book the wife expresses her fear of John indirectly to the reader. She seems to have many ideas of ways that she thinks will improve her condition but at the end of it dismisses these ideas as she doesn't think John would approve. For example she had the idea that letting her see people and having more stimuli would help but she dismisses it

with a rest cure. The doctor in the story is much like the doctor that

It seems as if her husband might not even be her husband, her husband and brother are both doctors. It’s just weird that both male roles in her life are doctors, and if she is in a mental hospital she could be mistaking her doctors for family members. The narrator gives off that these vibes that she really is in a mental hospital, she says that her and John does not stay together, that John is away helping other patients. This could simply be he could really be away helping patients and that they are not together for him to be there with her at night. There are bars on the windows, it is not normal to just bar windows.