The Yellow Wallpaper
Jordan
The Yellow Wallpaper In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman writes about the deteriorating mental state of the narrator. The female narrator is being kept in this room, which she hated. She claims there is a woman inside of the wall. The paper in the room and the woman in the wallpaper symbolize the narrator’s predicament. The predicament of the narrator is being trapped in a male dominated society and not having control over her own life. For example, “You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? 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”(238)? As the narrator tells her husband over and over that her mental state is slowly going down hill he refuses to believe her: “Of course if you were in any danger, I could and would, but you really are better, dear, weather you can see it or not. I am a doctor, dear, and I know”(245). Rather than John actually listening to the narrator, he creates this environment that causes her madness to flourish as she goes to say, “The front pattern does move—and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many woman behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over”(248). This illustrates the time period and how most women are trapped by their husbands. As the story begins, the relationship between the narrator and her husband is a trusting one. She believes that “congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good”(238). However, she does think that John knows best and even feels somewhat guilty for not agreeing with him as she goes to say, “I have a schedule prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more”(239). Though as this goes on for a while she
The Yellow Wallpaper In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman writes about the deteriorating mental state of the narrator. The female narrator is being kept in this room, which she hated. She claims there is a woman inside of the wall. The paper in the room and the woman in the wallpaper symbolize the narrator’s predicament. The predicament of the narrator is being trapped in a male dominated society and not having control over her own life. For example, “You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? 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”(238)? As the narrator tells her husband over and over that her mental state is slowly going down hill he refuses to believe her: “Of course if you were in any danger, I could and would, but you really are better, dear, weather you can see it or not. I am a doctor, dear, and I know”(245). Rather than John actually listening to the narrator, he creates this environment that causes her madness to flourish as she goes to say, “The front pattern does move—and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many woman behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over”(248). This illustrates the time period and how most women are trapped by their husbands. As the story begins, the relationship between the narrator and her husband is a trusting one. She believes that “congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good”(238). However, she does think that John knows best and even feels somewhat guilty for not agreeing with him as she goes to say, “I have a schedule prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more”(239). Though as this goes on for a while she