Yellow Wallpaper and Postpartum Depression

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

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,

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

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 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

  "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.

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.

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”

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

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.

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.

Post-partum depression is a very common mental illness that many women face after the birth of their child. This is no different in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This short story provides an in-depth view of a woman who is clearly suffering from neurosis after her baby is born. But what is now considered post-partum depression was once seen as a form of mania. She thinks she is sick, but others say she has a “slight hysterical tendency.” The narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a prime example of this. She is a paradox: as she loses touch with the outer world, she comes to a greater understanding of the inner reality of her life. This constant inner/outer battle is crucial to understanding the nature of her suffering. She is faced with many relationships, objects, and situations that may seem innocent and completely natural, but are actually extremely strange and even

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).

During this time period, mental illness was not largely understood. Women who were outspoken were quickly diagnosed with “hysteria” and the cure-all was bed rest and social isolation. During this time in isolation, women slowly go insane. Since this was a feminist story, the woman was thought to be delicate and subject to emotional outbursts. Throughout the story, the

Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkin Griffin is a personal experience of the author, who describes the own emotional and mental state after having a baby. Due to the historical context of the short story which defined a cultural one, a position of the woman within society was oppressed by males. Moreover, mental diseases, especially, post-natal depression were not perceived as serious ones.