Universal Truths and the Yellow Wallpaper

Despite writing for different reasons, authors have always communicated to their audience with deep meanings and messages in their story. Charlotte Perkins Gilman is no exception and demonstrates this exceedingly well in her text The Yellow Wallpaper, which clearly shows the purpose of outlining the oppression of women. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s personal experiences, and the time period in which she lives influenced her to write Gilman’s personal experiences, and the time period in which she lives influenced her to write The Yellow Wallpaper in which she communicated the universal truth that only the mind can set itself free. The influence of madness, Gilman’s personal life and medical experiences and the oppression of women had all helped motivated Gilman to write this text. The social expectations of a woman’s place in society or the world during the late 19th and early 20th century greatly impacted Gilman and motivated her to address the universal truth that only the mind can set itself free. Firstly, the oppression of women in Gilman’s time period had rendered other to see women as mindless, and therefore had to be directed to do tasks by men. “He is very loving and caring, and hardy lets me stir without special direction” (Gilman 2). This statement from the rendered other to see women as mindless, and therefore had to be directed to do tasks by men. “He is very loving and caring, and hardy lets me stir without special direction” (Gilman 2). This statement from The Yellow Wallpaper shows that despite genuinely loving her he still thought, or believed, she did not have a mind of her own and that she had to be directed “specially”. In addition to this, women had vastly different social expectations as compared to men. “There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. As well speak of a female liver” (Gilman). This excerpt reflects back toward the influence of madness because it shows that women were thought of having no mind, and that the brain is