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Theme of the Yellow Wallpaper

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Theme of the Yellow Wallpaper
THESIS SENTENCE: Was this decent into insanity due to the negligence of the medical profession, due to a sexist man, or did she have it coming?

TOPIC SENTENSE OF ONE OF THE BODY PARAGRAPHS: After reading this article it is hard to support any other reason for the story being written than to depict the negligence of the medical profession.

Although a theme of sexism is easily proven, Gilman has expressed her reasoning for writing this story. Gilman 's female narrator shows how her own physician husband fails to properly identify or acknowledge her symptoms and who along with the narrator 's brother, also a doctor, acts in a manner similar to S. Weir Mitchell. (Werlock, Abby H. P.) In an article that originally appeared in the October 1913 issue of The Forerunner Gilman expressed her personal experience with a plunge into near insanity. As we discussed in our lecture during English class as well, Gilman told us her reason for writing the story was to make jest of the medical profession. Her regimen given by a well a noted specialist in nervous diseases, was, “to ‘live as domestic a life as far as possible,’ to ‘have but two hours ' intellectual life a day,’ and ‘never to touch pen, brush, or pencil again’ as long as I lived.” (Catherine Lavender). She followed the “doctor’s orders” for three months and was “so near the borderline of utter mental ruin that I could see over” (Catherine Lavender). Thanks to a close friend she did the exact opposite of what was told to her and recovered. Shortly after she wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper and sent it to him. After reading this article it is hard to support any other reason for the story being written than to depict the negligence of the medical profession.

WORKS CITED ENTRY ON THE SOURCE YOU USED IN THE PARAGRAPH:

Lavender, Catherine. " Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper" (1913)." Library.Csi.Cuny. 05 Apr. 2010. Web. 08 June 1999. <



Cited: ENTRY ON THE SOURCE YOU USED IN THE PARAGRAPH: Lavender, Catherine. " Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper" (1913)." Library.Csi.Cuny. 05 Apr. 2010. Web. 08 June 1999. < http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/whyyw.html>. Knight, Denise D. " 'The Yellow Wallpaper '." In Werlock, Abby H. P. The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2000. Bloom 's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. April 5, 2010.

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