'An Analysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper'

An Analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper”

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, expresses that wasting away in solitude can eventually lead to insanity and desolation. To begin with, the narrator is a woman suffering from postpartum psychosis. Postpartum psychosis is a very rare illness that affects some woman shortly after they deliver their new-born babies. A brief summary of the story concludes that the narrator spends all of her time alone in self-reflection until solitude is all she craves. The focal point of the story is that the narrator begins to see and believe that there is a woman behind the yellow wallpaper, but in reality, the fictitious woman is only in her mind. With that being said, the truth behind the story is
Some of the surroundings are as follows: the fruitful garden, the grape-covered arbors, the greenhouses, and many other sights of nature. According to Gilman, The narrator notes, “out of one window I can see the garden, those mysterious deep shaded arbors, the riotous old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees. Out of another I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to estate. There is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house. I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors, but John has cautioned me to not give fancy in the least”(88). In the beginning and mid-part of her stay in the mansion, it’s quite obvious that the narrator enjoys seeing her outdoor surroundings. But as the time goes by, the narrator quickly changes her mind and explains that she doesn’t want to go outside or even look out her window anymore. The physical setting pertains to the narrator’s mind. The narrator is often left feeling restricted from doing anything besides resting, eating, and staying inside the mansion. The narrator’s husband, John, believes that his so-called “rest cure” theory will heal his wife of any issues she is having. His “rest cure” was obviously ineffective because the narrator rarely slept through the night, for she was fixated on nothing but the yellow wallpaper. Her husband, on the other hand, assumed his wife was fast asleep. For instance, the narrator writes, “I lie down ever so much now. John says it is good for me, and to sleep all I can. Indeed he started the habit by making me lie down for an hour after every meal (Gilman 94). But when the night fell, the narrator’s mind would overflow with thoughts about the wallpaper. She memorized every pattern, every scent, and every surface of the wallpaper. And most importantly, she focused on the so-called woman that crept around the room. For example, the narrator says, “I’m