The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Deborah Whiteman
Ms. Sophrin
Modern Literature
23 September 2014
(Title)
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's, The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman presents to the audience an inmate who is insane and crazy. Also Gilman focuses her writing on the topic of a male-dominated society. The women during the late 1800’s did not have the same rights as men. The woman's rights were not equal to men. The women lack a majority vote in any major decision. This book was written before the Woman Suffrage movement and the ratification of the 19th amendment. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” Gilman's attempts to show the ill effects of cultural restrictions and forced inactivity on women's lives during the late Victorian age” (Joyce/Wilson 1). Charlotte Perkin Gilman tells her own personal story in the “Yellow Wallpaper”. In the Yellow
Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the narrator to reveal the gender inequality issues and madness in the early-mid nineteenth century.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an outstanding feminist and writer.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a narrative study of Gilman's own “nervousness” and depression. Gilman first experienced this depression and nervousness when she gave birth to her first daughter. Gilman wrote this short story to show the world what the women of the Victorian era were experiencing. She also wrote this short story to show society the victimized women of postpartum depression and other maladies. The women of this era were experiencing the condition “rest cure”. Gilman wrote this short story about her own depression. Gilman portrays herself as the narrator: "Gilman's experience with the "rest cure" is reflected in the experience of the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper". (Esposito 1). The narrator and Gilman are very much the same: both experience the same condition and are mistreated by their spouses. Gilman portrays her real life husband as the character “John”. Gilman talks about her life with her husband: “It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral homes for the summer” (P.647). Gilman portrays John and the narrator as a family of the middle class in
1890’s.
Some of the women of the Victorian period were often diagnosed with a nervous condition. In the 18th century, it was known for women to have a “nervous” condition but in the 19th century it’s called “hysteria”. In the first pages of the story we learn that the narrator is prescribed to S.Weir Mitchell's “rest cure” which will help her condition and bring her back to normal but does not. This treatment makes the narrator crazy: “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes. I'm sure I never used to be so sensitive. I think it is due to this nervous condition” (P.648). I personally[c] think that the narrator is suffering from postpartum depression. The narrator developed this depression after she had given birth to her daughter. The narrator doubts her ability to take care of the baby: "It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous." (P.649).
The women during the 1800’s did not have the same rights the men. The women were looked upon as someone to cook, clean and take care of the children. The men were responsible for earning the money and going to work. This story took place before the 19th amendment which granted women the right to vote, was passed. The men of this society were portrayed as the perfect man; “It is important to note that in the late 18th century neither of these traits would be seen as an illness in men”. The narrator points out that John was the perfect man “I suppose John never was nervous in his life. He laughs at me so about this wallpaper” (P.649). The narrator experiences many difficult struggles while she is sick. John did not believe that she was sick; If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do? . . .” (P.648). Even the narrator's brother who is also a physician does not think that she is sick. John does not even think of the narrator as grown woman; he thinks of her as a child who constantly needs to be taken care of. John only thinks of her superficially, not by what is going on inside of her.
The narrator has no control of her life anymore which is contributes to her madness. The examples of her madness are attitude towards her husband and her obsession with the yellow wallpaper and the women hidden behind the paper. The narrator is develops this madness from the attitude of her husband. John takes away all her things that are distraction so she can focus on resting. Her husband believes that rest will help her get better. When the narrator is away from her family, she hides away and her family and writes in her journal. Writing in her journal is the only way that she expresses her feelings without meeting with approval. The narrator is forced to put her journal away anytime John comes around: “There comes John, and I must put this away, – he hates to have me write a word”. John’s disapproval of her doing anything drives her to examine the wallpaper. The narrator begins to examine the wallpaper until she gets to the point where she starts to lose sleep. She begins to see as “strange provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to sulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design” (P.650). Towards the end of the book we see that something is wrong that she sees people from her window who are clearly invisible, which she claims to be her daydreaming (D.Amassa 1). She begins to become obsessed with the pattern on paper and this becomes her secret. The wallpaper is her escape from the world and gives herself freedom to do anything she wants. The woman who is stuck behind the wallpaper is her. This formless figure is an accurate description of the narrator trying to break out of this society. In the story “The self-division inscribed in the wallpaper is the story’s double figure of ambivalence about female freedom” (DeKoven 11) to show the wallpaper relevance to freedom in the society of women.