The yellow wallpaper analysis essay. The Yellow Wallpaper Literary Analysis Essay 2022-10-23
The yellow wallpaper analysis essay Rating:
9,9/10
647
reviews
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in 1892. The story is narrated by an unnamed woman, who is struggling with a mental illness. She is being treated by her husband, a physician, who has ordered her to rest in a room with yellow wallpaper. The narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with the wallpaper, and eventually descends into madness.
The yellow wallpaper itself serves as a symbol in the story. At first, the narrator is simply annoyed by the wallpaper, finding it "repellent, almost revolting." However, as she spends more time in the room, she becomes more and more fixated on it, eventually seeing a figure trapped within the pattern. This figure represents the narrator herself, trapped within the constraints of her illness and her husband's control.
The narrator's husband, John, is also a symbol in the story. He is a typical Victorian husband, believing that he knows what is best for his wife and that she should simply trust him and follow his orders. He does not listen to her complaints about the wallpaper, insisting that it is "perfectly harmless." This lack of understanding and empathy on the part of her husband only serves to worsen the narrator's condition.
The yellow wallpaper also serves as a metaphor for the societal constraints placed on women during this time period. Women were expected to be submissive and obedient to their husbands, and any deviation from this norm was met with suspicion and fear. The narrator is not allowed to work or engage in any activity that might stimulate her mind, and is instead confined to her bedroom. This lack of agency and autonomy further contributes to her descent into madness.
Overall, "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a powerful critique of the treatment of women and mental illness during the Victorian era. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of restricting and silencing those who are different or perceived as "abnormal." It is a poignant reminder of the importance of empathy, understanding, and agency in the lives of all individuals.
Literary Analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Essay Example
A bit more subtle than rallys and protests, short stories were an effective tool for a feminist with the disposition for exposition. Their place was in a domestic role and nothing more. During this time in history, women that divorced their husbands or did not obey them were considered second class citizens. In a sense the narrators physical being is trapped in her room, however her emotional being is trapped through the inability to write, work, care for her children or even explain her medical condition. It tells a story about a woman who is obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room, which is a symbol of falling into psychosis as a result of depression. It adds to the historical context of the story and gives the reader a little more insight into the relationship between the two main characters. Deep down her heart, she knows that her husband does not necessarily know everything, but she does not say anything for fear of reprisals.
The Yellow Wallpaper: Connection between the Narrator & the Paper
The language she uses reflects this, the arrangement of her entries grows more fragmented, the interruptions more frequent, and the symbolism grows darker. Instead, he embarks on making all the decisions for her even on matters that directly affect her well-being. She toured the United States giving lectures on social reform and sharing her views and opinions on Women's rights. Without other stimulation from others or work, the wallpaper remains all the narrator focuses on and it begins to push her to insanity. During this time in history, women that divorced their husbands or did not obey them were considered second class citizens. This message is gradually exposed along with the development of the characters, namely the narrator and her husband John, throughout the text.
All of these are symbols of confinement. I think that through the theme of the story, Gilmans is trying to change our ideas suggesting that a woman's place was in the private domain of the home, where she should carry out her prescribed roles of wife and mother and show us that it could potentially drive a person insane to live like that. I believe that was Gilman used a confident but helpless tone for the narrator. In this short story there are many influences that impact the conflict of the story. But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. There is no reason for her to leave her room, as she is to rest and not engage in any work.
Literary Analysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gillman: [Essay Example], 1068 words GradesFixer
In fact, he commends her for putting an effort to get better, but she knows that she is getting well for other reasons. This just goes to show that women have evolved over the last century. The house she is staying in is her own prison, and is a symbol of her isolation from society. This is exactly what the narrator is supposed to do, rest, stay in her bedroom and is explicitly forbidden to write or express her thoughts. Also, cultural events in the story, related to the Victorian era, when women were treated unequally, built up the storyline. When her husband learns of her actions, he breaks his way into the room and then faints at the sight of what she has done.
Character Analysis: The Yellow Wallpaper Essay on Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Literature, The Yellow Wallpaper
I believe that he fainted because he finally saw the woman behind the pattern. For once, the narrator feels that she knows something that her husband or any other person, for that matter, does not have an idea about. She demonstrates how the restriction the narrator undergoes causes her to lose her sanity because of measures society deems normal. Her treatment of course is rest and staying out of the way of her husband for the most part, which causes her to see herself as a burden Gilman 3. The conclusion proves to be quite ironic with the image of her crawling, like a baby. She comforts herself in having saved the baby from being in that room.
He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him. At the end of the story, the narrator regains control of her life, and this scares her husband to a point where he even faints. She sees her marriage and surroundings as a prison, bars on the windows and being confined to a room where her actions are dictated by others. But I must say what I feel and think in some way — it is such a relief! When her husband learns of her actions, he breaks his way into the room and then faints at the sight of what she has done. In this short story it shows the male characters inadvertently placed in a position of power, while the women fall into a secondary position of supremacy.
Analysis Of Feminism In 'The Yellow Wallpaper' By Charlotte Perkins Gilman: [Essay Example], 1320 words GradesFixer
Through reading the story, one can see a clear desire for the women in this period to entangle themselves from domination. This shows that in the era this story was written, men and women had very different relationships and statuses in society. Both of these stories focus on the horrid state of women during the late 19th Century and subtley push for feminism. Indeed, tearing down the wallpaper seems only to be the first step toward her freedom. Just as the narrator is hiding her journal and inner thoughts from her husband, the woman behind the wallpaper hides in the sunlight, but moves under the moonlight. . An average relationship of her time generally included a working middleclass husband and a house keeping wife.
The gift came in form of her writing. She begins to observe how it varies in different light and notices a sub pattern within the wallpaper. The Yellow Wallpaper became a symbol of a mental disease and the covering of female loneliness and lack of help after becoming a mother. She later admits that it has begun to require great effort for her to think straight. Being a famous writer, Gilman did not exactly have an average role in society in her time as a female. In a sense the narrators physical being is trapped in her room, however her emotional being is trapped through the inability to write, work, care for her children or even explain her medical condition.
For once in her life, she seems to have concluded that she has a functional mind that is entirely hers and one that she can use as she wills. Both protagonists experience delirium and brief freedom, but their desire for freedom leads to literal death and figurative death of each character. Her husband, however, refuses to admit that she is ill, but has taken her to a summer rental home for a treatment of rest. This question mark is possibly because she has lost control of her actions and she may not want to be free of her husband. However, this unfortunate gift would also eventually lead to her demise. .
