Women In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman is known as the first American writer who has feminist approach. Gilman criticises inequality between male and female during her life, hence it is mostly possible to see the traces of feminist approach in her works. She deals with the struggles and obstacles which women face in patriarchal society. Moreover, Gilman argues that marriages cause the subordination of women, because male is active, whereas female plays a domestic role in the marriage. Gilman also argues that the situation should change; therefore women are only able to accomplish full development of their identities. At this point, The Yellow Wallpaper is a crucial example that shows repressed woman’s awakening. It is a story of a woman who

Charlotte Perkins Gilman in, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” tells the story of a woman suffering from postpartum depression and her solitary inactive treatment in a yellow wallpapered room. Gilman herself experienced postpartum depression in her life and experienced the even more depressing treatment with it. She lived during the late nineteenth century where women were mostly confined around the, “domestic circle,” and could not participate in technical or intellectual activities outside the household hindering any development. She uses this short story as a social and political commentary to speak out against the status quo of women's gender oppression through her use of setting, development of characters, and symbolism of the woman trapped in the

In the "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman describes her postpartum depression through the character of Jane. Jane was locked up for bed rest and was not able to go outside to help alleviate her nervous condition. Jane develops an attachment to the wallpaper and discovers a woman in the wallpaper. This shows that her physical treatment is only leading her to madness. The background of postpartum depression can be summarized by the symptoms of postpartum depression, the current treatment, and its prevention. Many people ask themselves what happens if postpartum depression gets really bad or what increases their chances. Jane's treatment can show what can happen if it is

In the short story. "The Yellow Wallpaper" written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, we are introduced to a woman, the narrator, who suffers from postpartum depression, a disorder in women that results from childbirth. This disorder can have serious effects on the individual and may result in extreme behaviors such as suicide. (Mahoney 1) The narrator of the story is symbolic of Gilman, as she had experienced this illness after the birth of her daughter. (Gilman 181) Postpartum depression is a serious issue that must be dealt with in order to help its victums carry on with everyday life. In order for society to effictively help those affected with postpartum depression, they must know what it is, what its symptoms are,

In the "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman describes her postpartum depression through the character of Jane. Jane was locked up for bed rest and was not able to go outside to help alleviate her nervous condition. Jane develops an attachment to the wallpaper and discovers a woman in the wallpaper. This shows that her physical treatment is only leading her to madness. The background of postpartum depression can be summarized by the symptoms of postpartum depression, the current treatment, and its prevention. Many people ask themselves what happens if postpartum depression gets really bad or what increases their chances. Jane's treatment can show what can happen if it is

(her) on the bed, and sit by (her) and read to (her) till he tired (her) head.” John begins to treat her like a child and degrades her allowing her to give in and lose hope of overcoming her illness. As a result of being treated like a child the narrator loses a sense of worth and her identify as a grown woman before. As the protagonist loses her importance she has nothing to do but dwell and spend hours staring at her wallpaper which she studies in detail and “exhaust(s) (her)self in trying to distinguish.” Spending hours staring at the same wall everyday is enough to make just about anyone go insane.

The way woman were treated in the late 1800’s is totally different than today. At that time woman and men were not equal to each other. Women were confined to particular roles. The men usually played the dominant role which led women to just listen and follow their spouse. During that time woman were at the bottom of the social class. The regular household consisted of a male who handles all the important decision making things while the women were housewives. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” the author Charlotte Perkins Gilman who is a feminist who purposely shows examples of the roles women played in society in the late 1800’s. Gilman wanted to prove a major point that confining women to only womanly roles of the time, will drive woman crazy. The woman in the short story was forced to follow her husband instuctions. She was not able to make her own decisions and this infantilized her which drove her insane.

Several analyses have been made of the book "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman mostly focusing on patriarchal society as the main source of narrator’s mental illness. However, less has depicted acknowledgement of legitimate biological causes of depression. Postpartum depression is often diagnosed in women especially new mothers. This is characterized by mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty in sleeping. Some women can experience long-lasting depression that can lead to postpartum psychosis. Symptoms of this psychosis may include; hallucinations, delusions, hyperactivity, paranoia, rapid mood swings, insomnia, unsupported

The oppression by John on the narrator reveals the problems Gilman had in her life. Dr. Wier Mitchell, Gilman's doctor who put her on the rest cure, is represented in the book by John (Greene 1). This short story is an attempt to show other people what women had to deal with at the time rest cures were prescribed. The combination of seclusion, not being able to write, and subordination by John cause the narrator's mental condition to slowly become unstable over time. The narrator's condition is described as, "Temporary nervous depression-- a slight hysterical tendency” (Scott 200). Gilman is making an attempt to warn other women of the dangers of these types of treatments (Snodgrass 1). Psychosis, or slight hysterical tendencies in this case, have many symptoms such as delusions, depressions, and hallucinations ("Psychosis" 1). All of these symptoms can be seen in the narrator and are all caused by large events in general ("Psychosis" 1). The large event in this case is the birth of her child. Carmine Esposito says that at the time that the story takes place, hysteria was considered a women's disease and that this hysteria calls for a rest cure, which does not cure anything (1). We now realize that a good cure would have been spending more time with her baby (Esposito

Postpartum depression is a common illness that is recognized more now days than it was in the past. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper with intentions of exposing the reality of postpartum depression. Being a feminist during her time she relayed the message through her writing. This type of illness was overlooked and not considered serious back then. The Yellow Wallpaper sums up the emotional struggle caused while suffering through this illness. The female character in the story shows signs and symptoms of postpartum depression such as: hallucinations, confused emotions, and poor physical well-being.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a story about a 19th century women who suffers from mental depression in which her husband, a supposed doctor, forces her to refrain from all stimulating activity. This depression is caused after the birth of her child, now known as postpartum depression. While it is now known what causes this illness, the people of the 19th century did not. This lack of knowledge led to an isolation or rest cure applied by her husband who simply locks her in a room, once a nursery, with hideous yellow wallpaper in which the narrator find hidden messages and later is driven to insanity due to the cure applied. Looking at Gilman's “The Yellow Wallpaper” through the historical/biographical and feminist lenses

husband's so called therapeutic treatment of her aliments during the late 1800s. The story begins

“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 take place during a time period where women were oppressed. Women were treated as second rate people in society during this time period. Charlotte Perkins Gilman very accurately portrays the thought process of the society during the time period in which “The Yellow Wallpaper” is written. Using the aspects of Feminist criticism, one can analyze “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman through the dialogue through both the male and female perspective, and through the symbol found in the story.

Patriarchal ideology is expressed in “The Yellow Wallpaper” that constructs the concept that women are submissive and inferior, but the breaking of patriarchy gives truth to womankind. Author Charlotte Perkins Gilman writes her short story in the form of a first person diary, written by an unnamed woman, or Jane. The diary accounts Jane’s descent into insanity as a result of her quasi-imprisonment in her room with yellow wallpaper. Jane’s husband, John, is a doctor, and according to Jane, “he does not believe that [she is] sick! And what is one to do? If a physician oh a high standing, and one’s own husband assures...that there is really nothing the matter…what is one to do?” (Gilman). Jane has a lack of self-confidence in her entry due to

Women have long felt the emotional, psychological and physical effects of child bearing. Before modern medicine, these mental struggles were said to be nothing more than nervousness. In The Yellow Wallpaper a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, the narrator is a young woman who has recently given birth, during the late 19th century. After giving birth she has fallen victim of postpartum depression. When a woman becomes pregnant her body immediately starts to produce hormones in excess. These same hormones that help a woman through pregnancy can cause psychological detriment postpartum. Her husband, who is a doctor, tells her, it is nothing more than nervousness. Narrator states, “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.” If postpartum depression symptoms are not taken care of it can result in a complete mental illness and can lead to suicidal tendencies. Dr, Rui Campos and her colleagues discuss the findings of their study in their article Neediness and Depression in women. What they found was that most women have mental illness as a result of a hormonal imbalance, their own self-worth and the environment in which they live. The narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper is kept contained in a room. Her husband believes that with rest and time alone she will get better. Instead of improving, her mental clarity worsens as a result of no treatment, and being held hostage in a room, and while alone she lives