Patriarchy In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

In Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-paper,” the culmination of our narrator’s psychological journey seems to present itself in the form of her partially ripping down and emerging from the “hideous,” “unreliable,” “infuriating,” and “torturing” wallpaper pattern that arguably symbolizes both domestic confinement and the oppressive patriarchy (37). Yet, is this ending truly one of liberation? Up until this point, we have received enthusiastic reports stating that the woman’s life is “very much more exciting,” and that she “[feels] ever so much better,” yet it can be argued that there is an increasingly maniacal tone encompassing these statements (38). Furthermore, the story closes with her continually “creeping” around the room, even though her