The Rest Cure Research Paper

The Rest Cure was a treatment to help those who suffered from hysteria, women in particular. Neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell developed the rest cure in the late 1800’s. The treatment became popularized and spread throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. The treatment’s regimen consisted of enforced isolation, bed rest, and force-feeding. Patients were also prohibited from reading, writing, and even talking. A well-known writer by the name of Charlotte Perkins Gilman received the rest cure treatment and reacted strongly against it. Soon after the treatment Gilman wrote about her experience in a semi-autobiographical short story called, “The Yellow Wallpaper”. This small act of literature shed light on the harm the treatment did to
The cure was used to help women with nervous disorders, instead it made their mental state worse. Charlotte Perkins the author of “The Yellow Wallpaper” was aware of this possibility happening to herself, but she chose to fight against it. Perkins managed a way to write about her experiences under the treatment, which helped those who went through it and those who were oblivious to the harm the treatment caused to women. In the article, “Managing madness in Gilman’s The Yellow Wall-paper,” Beverley Hume discusses the author of the story, Charlotte Perkins, in a more detailed examination of her own writings and a thorough explanation of the rest cure and how it affected women (Hume). It is seen that when Perkins wrote about the treatment it scared many people, which is exactly what she intended. The fear that lay between the lines of every page she wrote, she crafted a world where the reader can fully empathize with the damage the cure can have upon an individual. The truth behind the treatment what slowly and finally revealing itself, insanity. Hume points out that Gilman herself was deeply affected by this treatment and wanted to reveal
People are known to be social creatures, which is why communication is key in order to stay sane. For example, the exchange of ideas and self-expression, and as such have created complex social structures, where people manage a way to cooperate with one another. In this case, the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” kept a secret diary that was prohibited by her husband so she could write, which was her only source of sociability. The diary was meant for her to maintain her sanity and/or what she had left before she lost it due to her husband’s demanding ways. Also, writing was used as a source of entertainment. Many women that were allowed to do what they pleased before were now deprived from many things against their will. They were left in a room with nothing to do, but stare at wallpaper. Writing allowed women to entertain themselves, by drawing, writing about stories, and even playing games. In this article, “A New Woman's Journey into Insanity: Descent and Return in the Yellow Wallpaper”, Rula Quawas examined the North and South (Quawas). During this time period they were at war with one another due to the different believes they upheld. Despite the North and South’s differences she did come across one popular common trait they both believed in; a woman’s place (Quawas). Quawas sees this