The Aspects Of Symbolism In Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

During the 19th century, besides previous centuries, women had to fulfill the expectations of a patriarchal society in which men and women had quite distinct roles. On the one hand, as women were considered physically weaker and less intelligent than men, their main purpose in life was to marry, have children and take charge of the housework. They did not participate in the economic, legal and social aspects of marriage; that was the role of men. Therefore, any important decision was made by men and women had to respect their norms without showing any resistance or own opinion.
In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator’s husband, John, was a physician who had diagnosed his wife a “temporary nervous depression - a slight hysterical tendency” (Gilman
John’s attitude toward her is always protective and affectionate. The protagonist admits it on several occasions: “he loves me very dearly” (Gilman 19), “he loves me so” (Gilman 20), “he is very careful and loving.” (Gilman 13) Whenever the protagonist disagrees with John or asks him for something that is out of her schedule, he always denies it and adds some emotive argument to “soften” the conflict. An example of this occur in a moment in the story when the protagonist asks John to visit her cousins. John disagree with her idea because he thinks she is not prepared yet for social meetings and he adds: “he said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well.” (Gilman 19) This kind of emotive arguments make the narrator feel guilty every time she rebels, even she thinks: “I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!” (Gilman 14) This guilty lead the protagonist to hide her true state of mind and her wishes, resigning to the orders and decisions of her husband. This contributes to create a perfect situation for John’s absolute manipulation of his wife. Johnson supports this idea by saying “that her husband exerts his tyrannical control in the guise of protectiveness makes the narrator feel all the more stifled and precludes outright defiance” (528). In addition to this, John is described by his wife as a “physician of high standing” (Gilman 11) as well as “practical in the extreme.” (Gilman 11) This extreme rationality together with his medical knowledge also supposes an obstacle for the protagonist to opine on her true state of health. The protagonist admits that she is better physically but not mentally. John does not believe his wife because he believes that “it is a false and foolish