Response To The Yellow Wallpaper

Response Paper

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a woman that has no power over herself and is told how to think, act and live. By todays standers that’s something that is no longer tolerated. Today men and women are looked at equally, both with the same amount of power. Using feminist theory one can analyze and criticize the story through symbolism and character.

At the start of the Story the narrator is stuck in a time that women are not equal to men and are considered to be less tan a man. The narrator never states her name throughout the whole story she is only referrer to herself as “myself” (Gilman468). This is because she feels like she is no one and has no importance unlike her husband, which she does refer to as “John”(Gilman468). John is supposed to be taking care of
her while she undergoes her treatment. Although john is her husband he doesn’t act like one he acts more like a Doctor treating his patient. He doesn’t give her any moral support what so ever and she is left to go on alone with no support. To cope with all of this she starts to write and that becomes her passage of freedom. Although her husband doesn’t approve of this she still continues to write when he is not around. “John”(Gilman468) is making her think that she is sick when in reality she is fine. The only thing making her sick is being stuck in that tiny room all day and night, slowly driving her insane. The wallpaper in her room is a symbol of women wanting to be free and break the chains they were in during that time. Come the day when she was moving out she tore the wallpaper, breaking those chains and letting them be free. When john saw the destruction of the wallpaper he fainted. At this moment she knew she was different.

In addition the she said “I have a scheduled prescription for each hour of the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more”(Gilman469). Here one can see how society was during that time how women weren’t expected to do anything. Even she thought that she was sick. She wanted to be her own person do things she wanted to do, but couldn’t. The only thing holding her back was her husband, he was taking her of her at the time and she didn’t want to think of leaving him after what he’s done for her. Her husband knows what he is doing he does all these things for her because he knows hell be able to have more control over her. She also says “And Dear John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me up stairs and laid me on the bed.”(Gilman473) by doing this the husband is manipulating her even more, we know that he cares for her but not having her do anything like walk up some stairs is making her want to be less dependent on him and distant herself from him.

Lastly, she states “John laughs at me of course, but one expects that in a marriage”(Gilman468) something like this would never be said today when you marry someone you usually don’t expect that from your partner.
When you marry someone its because they can comfort you and even more not judge you. Her husband only wants for her to be a stay at home wife with no goals or future. She feels as is she is a prisoner in her own home. She had no freedom what so ever she hardly talked to anyone she had no connection with the outside world. She could only be free or feel free is when she wrote. Her friend “Jennie”(Gilman475) kept her secrets from her John and everyone else. She deep down wanted to be just like her, But she just didn’t have the courage. The narrator states “Personally I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change would do me good” Here we can see her thinking that she can do things on her own. She always knew that she was being forced to think she was “sick”. This is where she is realizing everything that although she always thought she was alone in that room she really wasn’t she had John and Jennie supporting her for the
good.

Overall,