Essay On Charlotte Perkins Gildman's The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper, a semi-autobiographical novel written by Charlotte Perkins Gildman, first wave feminist theoretician, in 1892, is questioning the social norms that were presented in the 19th century. The author elaborates on the connection between gender division and the effect it had on women. It is interesting to see how and why the author, known for her social activism and involvement in a feminist movement, decided to portray male in the novel.
Gildman explores the nature of the relationship between woman and man, noticing how male’s authority and his need to patronize and dominate the female has lead to imprisoning her in a childish state, preventing her full personal development. As Charlotte Perkins Gilman points out, it all comes full circle. Withdrawal of personal freedom and possibilities of
self-development, which are basic human needs, cause problems with mental health that lead to seeking support and strengthening the guardian-ward relationship,that is based on the belief that the guardian has a right to decide for the ward, even in the most personal matters. Firstly, I would like to look at the language used to describe John, main character’s husband. It’s interesting to notice that the first thing the narrator describes John is not his character nor the look, but his behaviour towards her. She writes,“John laughs at me, of course, but one expect that in marriage” and this simple information reveals a lot about their relationship towards each other and also to themselves.
For a XXI century reader her mentioning the fact that John laughs at her might be very innocent, but this submissive and self-degrading “of course” and “one expect that in marriage” shows us that it is a very powerful information regarding men’s authority in marriage. Expressions such as “practical in the extreme and he has no patience” etc. are establishing a stereotype about a strong, very practical and independent male, putting the woman in the position of a ward. Moreover, the gender-based language enhances the division between man and woman’s position in a society. The woman is a “little-blessed goose” and a " little girl" while the man is “intelligent”and "practical in the extreme." , which makes it obvious which social group is stronger. It is interesting how at the end of the story before the narrator “creeped over” her husband, she is referring to him per “young man” reversing this pattern.
Moreover, the only male characters mentioned in the story are John, an authority and a guardian controlling the main character that is also functioning as her doctor, and Narrator’s brother, “also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing” and Dr. Weir Mitchell presented as a villain-like character; “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall. But I don’t want to go there at all. I had a friend who was in his hands once, and she says he is just like John and my brother, only more so!”. All of them represent restrictions and imprisonment of the main character, in a literal (in the room) but also the symbolic way (imprisonment of personality). The author establishes here an archetype of a male that is always strong, in control and restricting the female. The fact that John forbids the narrator to write and talk about her feelings is crucial, tackling the theme of the importance of self-expression.
The author used this situation as a metaphor for dehumanisation that occurred due to authoritative approach that John has to his wife. It feels like there is a sense of ownership in the way John refers to her :”He took me in his arms and called me a blessed little goose”, “He said I was his darling and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well”. Moreover, John seems to know best what the Narrator is going through “You know the place is doing you good," and has the power to make decisions for her“I tried to have a real earnest reasonable talk with. him the other day, and tell him how I wish he would let me go and make a visit to Cousin Henry and Julia. But he said I wasn't able to go” , Following Merlau’s Ponty phenomenology theory, which indicates that an object is defined by its relationship with other objects, we can say that man in the story is portrayed as a social class oppressing women, restricting their freedom as human beings, and therefore dehumanising
them. The world presented in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is extremely patriarchal. The main character feels guilty for even questioning her husband’s decision and tries to always look at her situation from his point of view. “I never thought of it before, but it is lucky that John kept me here after all, I .can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see. “ , “It is so hard to talk with John about my case, because he is so wise, and be­ .cause he loves me so”
What is interesting is that men were never put in a position of villain by the narrator. The novel tries to emphasise women's unawareness of the abusiveness of this kind of relationship. Man in the novel have good intentions and want to help the woman “He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction” Unfortunately, in their mind they are are naturally higher in a hierarchy and their behaviour is based on the social norms presented at a time. That is why the Narrator at the end of the story needs to creep through him. Male, or maybe an idea of what the male should be, is an obstacle in a woman’s way to freedom, something that the female needs to fight and get through
Another point worth mentioning would be dehumanisation of a male itself in the story by the way woman perceives him. John is presented as always strong, confident without any worries and insecurities. The narrator idealises him by saying “I suppose John never was nervous in his life” and by that she subconsciously dehumanises this character,
In conclusion, man as a social group is presented as dominant, strict, strong, powerful and very restrictive towards women and their personal freedom. Taking into consideration that “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written during the first wave of feminism by an author known for her social activism and involvement in a feminist movement., we can assume that the author aimed to present how the male-female relationship looked like in the 18th century and make us understand why that was so dangerous for both social groups. Moreover, the reason behind why the author decided to tackle this topic is rooted within her personal experiences, since she went through rest treatment, that was based on an male authority taking away her personal freedom to choose how she wants to treat her own body.
What I found really interesting is the unexpected swap of the roles at the end. John faints, which is very surprising as the tendencies to do so are attributed to women; it is almost a symbol of feminine weakness. Then on the other hand we see the narrator crawling over him, symbolically rising over him. But is she really? After defeating the enemy, we see her continually creeping around the room in a manic state, unable to escape. Liberating herself is linked to being insane. I think it is a very good point, as for woman at that time, the attempt of liberation was always connected to being ostracized by society. It happened to Charlotte Gildman, who was not only harshly criticised for her feminist standpoints but also isolated by fellow females.