Postpartum Depression 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, …show more content…
Since the narrator is left alone for most of the day, she allows her mind to go wild with fantasies and is forced to deal with her thoughts by herself. This ultimately chips away at her mental condition and makes her illness far worse. "I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to skulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design." (Gilman 185) This quote
The narrator falls into a state of deep depression following the birth of her baby, which is currently known now as postpartum depression. During the 1800’s they called it “temporary nervous depression- a slight hysterical tendency” a diagnosis common to women during that era. There was little or no knowledge for the treatment of postpartum depression. The doctors used “rest cure” as a form of treatment, the patient is prohibited from doing any kind of work. All they need is to rest, exercise, eat well and get enough air then they will recover. No external stimulation which lead to the deterioration of the narrator’s mental health in the story. She is ordered by her husband and brother, who are respected physicians to rest. She is isolated from everyone except her husband John and her sister in law Jennie the house keeper. Locked in a room with yellow wall paper, windows facing all direction, all 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
Postpartum depression is a a form of severe depression after childbirth that interferes with daily functioning and requires treatment. In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman progressively shows the consequences of mental illness if it is not treated properly. At the beginning of the story, the narrator acknowledges her condition and has her own thoughts and opinions on how she will return to society in the future. By the middle of the story however, she begins to loss a sense of worth causing her to spend hours staring at nothing. Finally, at the end of the story she has completely lost her sense of self and her obsession with the yellow wallpaper overpowers her.
When thinking about adding a new addition into a household, there are many things to consider. A main point would question the parents of the future child/children regarding their ability to have a stable income and a big enough house to accommodate the growth in their family. Throughout the pregnancy, the parents will face many eye opening situations, but do we ever consider what can happen after a woman conceives the child/children.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” tells the story of a woman suffering from post-partum depression, undergoing the sexist psychological treatments of mental health, that took place during the late nineteenth century. The narrator in Gilman’s story writes about being forced to do nothing, and how that she feels that is the worst possible treatment for her. In this particular scene, the narrator writes that she thinks normal work would do her some good, and that writing allows her to vent, and get across her ideas that no one seems to listen to. Gilman’s use of the rhetorical appeal pathos, first-person point of view, and forceful tone convey her message that confinement is not a good cure for mental health, and that writing,
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.
Most men do not understand a women’s thoughts and how hormones affect her mood. This is the case with John. He thinks that his wife will just move on from her distaste in the wallpaper and forget about how silly it is to fret over. John had hope that Jane would come out of her postpartum depression with a new outlook on being a mother and returning to her domestic duties as a women. Because of all her time alone in the room, she had time to analyze and find meaning in the wallpaper. Jane knows that there is “little principle in the design...and this [the wallpaper] was not arranged on any laws of radiation, or alternation, or repetition, or symmetry.”(1039) Her thoughts of the wallpaper represent how there is no logic, rhyme, or reason that
It is not a secret that the narrator in this story is in some way, shape or form mentally ill. The first clue of a mental disorder is the treatment she is going through. The narrator is on the rest cure, where she is forced to stay under isolation in a room by herself. She is not allowed to work, write, or even read. Anything that requires physical labor is prohibited while she is on this treatment. “After removing the patient from a setting in which she was surrounded by dedicated family caregivers, the patient was put into an isolated setting…” (Kelly, 20) This quote describes the rest cure created by Weir Mitchell. This treatment was used to treat female patients with many different conditions in the 1800’s. This treatment is very similar to the one that the narrator in “They Yellow Wallpaper is being treated with, because she is not allowed to have any family come and visit her and she is isolated in a
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper," is the disheartening tale of a woman suffering from postpartum depression. Set during the late 1890s, the story shows the mental and emotional results of the typical "rest cure" prescribed during that era and the narrator’s reaction to this course of treatment. It would appear that Gilman was writing about her own anguish as she herself underwent such a treatment with Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell in 1887, just two years after the birth of her daughter Katherine. The rest cure that the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" describes is very close to what Gilman herself experienced; therefore, the story can be read as reflecting the feelings of women like herself who suffered through
Renowned around the nation as one of the top hospitals, Mayo Clinic states that, postpartum depression, happens after the first week without holding a child. Some of the symptoms of this depression are, paranoia, hallucination and sleep troubles, to name a few.Granted back in the time era of this story, it was not called postpartum depression but insanity of lactation or perpetual insanity, says Nancy Theriot author of Diagnosing Unnatural Motherhood: Nineteenth-century Physicians and 'Puerperal Insanity'. Tying this into “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator has all of these symptoms. From the hallucinations to the paranoia, the narrator is found struggling with these symptoms.
Short Stories normally address issues in society at the current time of the story which these issues sometime end up being timeless issues that still occur in the current time period. For instance, in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman the story deals with the issue of postpartum depression in new mothers. While postpartum depression is still a very real and current topic in today’s society. Current society handles the issue differently than when the “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written. The difference in modern day and past society is contributed to the increasing knowledge of postpartum depression that has led to a new view for society, improved treatments, and a better approach for support from family. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”
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 feelings of worthlessness and even thoughts of death. In the modern society, postpartum psychosis is temporary and treatable with professional help. The paper analyses the possibilities of society induced depression and
Years ago, there was a limited understanding about postpartum depression and efficient treatments. Today, postpartum depression is better understood because of the willingness of others to recognize it as a legitimate condition. Based on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the treatments of her day were not adequate to improve the mental health of someone dealing with this diagnosis.
At the beginning of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the protagonist, Jane, has just given birth to a baby boy. Although for most mothers a newborn infant is a joyous time, for others, like Jane, it becomes a trying emotional period that is now popularly understood to be the common disorder, postpartum depression. For example, Jane describes herself as feeling a “lack of strength” (Colm, 3) and as becoming “dreadfully fretful and querulous” (Jeannette and Morris, 25). In addition, she writes, “I cry at nothing and cry most of the time” (Jeannette and Morris, 23).
"The Yellow Wallpaper," written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the late nineteenth century, explores the dark forbidding world of one woman's plunge into a severe post-partum depressive state. The story presents a theme of the search for self-identity. Through interacting with human beings and the environment, the protagonist creates for herself a life of her own.