Theme Of Isolation In The Yellow Wallpaper
Isolation is not a Psychiatrist
Isolation is a dangerous thing. It can push us into thinking very pessimistically, which can lead us into doing harmful actions. As Miguel de Unamuno once said, “isolation is the worst possible counselor.” In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper the narrator is portrayed as psychotic as a result of solidarity; this shows us the dangerous effects of complete isolation.
It is evident that the narrator is frequently alone with her thoughts. Her husband, John, “is away all day, and even some nights” (42), and Jennie, who takes care of her, leaves her to be alone and does the housework. This isolation caused her mental health to deteriorate. A dangerous effect of the complete isolation the narrator experienced is obsession. The narrator was told to do nothing, except sleep. She could not even talk to anyone about how she felt. One of the only things that could not be taken away from her was the wallpaper of the room. As a result, she paid close attention to it. The narrator would “lay there for hours” (143) watching the pattern of the wallpaper; she would attempt to decipher it. According to her, the wallpaper would stare her “as if it knew what a vicious influence it had” (66). It wasn’t …show more content…
In The Yellow Wallpaper a dangerous effect of complete isolation is paranoia. It is linked in with the obsession of the wallpaper as the narrator does not want anyone else becoming interested in it. The narrator wants the wallpaper all to herself to study and becomes suspicious of John and Jennie. She claims to have “caught [John] several times looking at the wallpaper” and “caught Jennie with her hand on it” (162). This effect of isolation is dangerous because the narrator locks herself in her room and throws the key out of the window in order to free the women who are trapped in the wallpaper. This, too, intensifies the narrator’s mental
Isolation is a dangerous thing. It can push us into thinking very pessimistically, which can lead us into doing harmful actions. As Miguel de Unamuno once said, “isolation is the worst possible counselor.” In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper the narrator is portrayed as psychotic as a result of solidarity; this shows us the dangerous effects of complete isolation.
It is evident that the narrator is frequently alone with her thoughts. Her husband, John, “is away all day, and even some nights” (42), and Jennie, who takes care of her, leaves her to be alone and does the housework. This isolation caused her mental health to deteriorate. A dangerous effect of the complete isolation the narrator experienced is obsession. The narrator was told to do nothing, except sleep. She could not even talk to anyone about how she felt. One of the only things that could not be taken away from her was the wallpaper of the room. As a result, she paid close attention to it. The narrator would “lay there for hours” (143) watching the pattern of the wallpaper; she would attempt to decipher it. According to her, the wallpaper would stare her “as if it knew what a vicious influence it had” (66). It wasn’t …show more content…
In The Yellow Wallpaper a dangerous effect of complete isolation is paranoia. It is linked in with the obsession of the wallpaper as the narrator does not want anyone else becoming interested in it. The narrator wants the wallpaper all to herself to study and becomes suspicious of John and Jennie. She claims to have “caught [John] several times looking at the wallpaper” and “caught Jennie with her hand on it” (162). This effect of isolation is dangerous because the narrator locks herself in her room and throws the key out of the window in order to free the women who are trapped in the wallpaper. This, too, intensifies the narrator’s mental