The Yellow Wallpaper: A Woman’s Struggle Essay, Research Paper
The Yellow Wallpaper: A Woman’s Struggle
Pregnancy and childbirth are very emotional times in a woman’s life and many
women suffer from the “baby blues.” The innocent nickname for postpartum
depression is deceptive because it down plays the severity of this condition.
Although she was not formally diagnosed with postpartum depression, Charlotte
Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) developed a severe depression after the birth of
her only child (Kennedy et. al. 424). Unfortunately, she was treated by Dr. S.
Weir Mitchell, who forbade her to write and prescribed only bed rest and quiet
for recovery (Kennedy et al. 424). Her condition only worsened and
ultimately resulted in divorce (Kennedy and Gioia 424). Gilman’s literary
indictment of Dr. Mitchell’s ineffective treatment came to life in the story
“The Yellow Wallpaper.” On the surface, this gothic tale seems only to relate
one woman’s struggle with mental illness, but because Guilman was a prominent
feminist and social thinker she incorporated themes of women’s rights and the
poor relationships between husbands and wives (Kennedy and Gioia 424).
Guilman cleverly manipulates the setting to support her themes and set the eerie
mood.
Upon first reading “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the reader may see the relationship
between the narrator and her husband John as caring, but with examination one
will find that the narrator is repeatedly belittled and demeaned by her
husband. On first arriving at the vacation home John chooses the old attic
nursery against his wife’s wishes and laughs at her when she complains about
the wallpaper (Kennedy et al. 424,425). In Charlotte Bronte’s novel }{plain
ul Jane Eyre}{plain , Mr. Rodchester uses his at
hidden from the rest of the world. John’s actions can easily be interpreted
with the same malice. The narrator’s insistence that John is a caring and
loving husband draws special attention to the true meanings behind his word’s
and actions. Would a man deeply concerned for his wife’s mental state
constantly leave her alone to tend after patients with “serious” conditions
(Kennedy et al. 426)? Any time John speaks to his wife, he uses the third
person voice or refers to her as “little girl” or some other term of endearment
(Kennedy and Gioia 430,431). He never uses her name, therefore he never really
recognizes her as a person nor an equal. This dialog can easily be compares to
one between a parent and his child. Because the room was an old nursery this
idea is strongly enforced. Hance, there is no oddity in the fact that the
narrator comes to think of herself as a child (Twentieth 111). She comments
on the fact that the children tore the wallpaper and later admits to doing it
herself (Kennedy et al. 426,428). Her regression is also demonstrated by her
comparison of her present room with the bedroom of her childhood (Kennedy and
Gioia 427,428).
The underlying theme of woman’s rights emanates from every part of “The Yellow
Wallpaper.” In an essay by Elaine R. Hedges, she points out how the wallpaper
symbolized the gross lack of women’ rights (Short 119). The yellow “smooches”
that Jennie finds on the clothes of the narrator and her husband, symbolize the
stain that this social situation leaves on everything it touches (Short 120).
Though she tries to…
The rest of the paper is available free of charge to our registered users. The registration process just couldn’t be easier. Log in or register now. It is all free! 356