Preview

Yellow Wallpaper Reflection

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
961 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Yellow Wallpaper Reflection
The Yellow Wall-Paper

The novel, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is an illustration of the various challenges that women faced prior to the emergence of the feminists and gender advocates (Gilman, 2013). The story by Gilman elaborates fully on the challenges the character (unnamed female) undergoes after her post partum. This condition was merely a nervous condition that needed to be examined by a physician but due to the female insubordination in those decades; the woman was enclosed in a yellow walled room (Gilman, 2013). Yellow in her society was known to be a color of sickness. She could address the worsening of her condition to the fact that her husband, John, was a physician (Gilman, 2013). Males dominated in all circles of human life and it was the case with her husband hence she could not contributed in outlining the treatment she deserved. Secondly, women were however to stay indoors undertaking house chores
…show more content…
The woman in the novel exhibits the various symptoms including restlessness, feelings of anxiety and general irritation She also has obsessive fantasies about the yellow wallpaper and an uncontrollable power to her mind. She also have the feeling of worthlessness as observed in the novel while she remarks ‘I meant to be such a help to John and here am a comparative burden already’ (Jeremiah, 2003). This represents the protagonist who shows low esteem on herself. She shows her nervousness while remarking that she cannot be with her baby. The heroine was assisted while in her sick conditions since her friends brought up the baby. This is also a great part in the diagnosis process since the patient lacks value of the surrounding and even she may cause injury to the baby (Rosenberg,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote a book in 1892 called “The Yellow Wallpaper”, accounting her own mental breakdown from reality in what would now be called post-partum depression in the form of a short horror story with use of symbolism and imagery. The short story depicts what a woman with depression and finally a psychotic break went through. There are femininities within this story, but the masculinities, as well, that led Gilman’s character’s mental breakdown. The 1890s was a time in history when women were not given the freedoms that most women enjoy today. Women of the 1890s obeyed their husbands without question. The man did run the house to a certain extent. He did not clean the home, but he did expect to come home to a clean house. The food was to be prepared on his schedule, and his wife was to be clean and pressed. His children were to have gone to school, and were required to be presentable to the father, should he call on them. This description is certainly not based on the average “middle income” family of today. This family dynamic was based off of Gilman’s description of her own historical time. The family described in the short story is of an upper class family. The husband can provide the financial foundation for their lifestyle, and the wife does not have to cook or clean because the family can afford to hire someone else, a nanny and maid.…

    • 1331 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Conclusion, the story yellow wallpaper is a small and clear example of oppression women in society in late 19th century and earlier. It shows the character of Charlotte Perkins Gilman that how much she felt about the women suffrage. The Yellow Wallpaper has historical importance in terms of the right of women in society. It is written when women were count as inferior of men. It is important to see how much change has come in the women life or their authorities in society since “The Yellow Wallpaper” has written. This story also describes the misconception about the postpartum depression and rest cure they used. How much women had suffered from it. Women got many right since this paper written and gained the rights that men have had decades…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Though it is a controversial topic, gender has always played a tremendous role in society. In her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores gender roles, especially the gender role of the main character. During the 1890’s, when the story was set, males were the head of the household, and the women had to take care of the house, children. In addition, women, including the main character, had to listen to their husbands, and it was the same way with the main character. In the story, the main character was controlled because she is a woman, and this led to her feeling confined. Her feelings of confinement play a major role in the development of her insanity. It is possible that she became insane because of the men…

    • 151 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Yellow Wallpaper Response

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When an author is writing a story, they have many critical decisions to make. One of the first important choices and questions they have to ask themselves are “Which point of view will the story take place? Who is the speaker of the story?” Point of view can basically be described as who is telling the story. It is broken down into three view points, 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person. 1st person point of view uses “I”, which means that the story is being told through the character. This can cause a sense of sympathy, and a connection with the character because the reader is listening to the character’s voice and how they are telling the story. Although rarely used, 2nd person point of view uses “you”, as if the writer…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The role of women in society has changed dramatically over the centuries from women being inferior to men, to women gaining autonomy. The issue of gender roles has also changed over time; where in the late 1800’s males dominated the workplace and home, to women now acquiring more independence and self-worth. This paper will discuss the similarities of themes between the two short stories of “The Revolt of Mother” by Mary E Wilkins Freeman and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Through each of these short stories the literary elements of style, symbolism, and irony will be discussed, impacting the theme in various ways. Over time, the role of women in society continues to change, shaping each individual into a new era of freedom and rights.…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One can clearly see this when the narrator states that “one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression.” This distinctly indicates that the narrator is afflicted with depression, since her husband has diagnosed her with this disorder. One is also inclined to believe that this illness is the result of childbirth and a condition known as post-partum depression. In line 33, the narrator says that “we took the nursery at the top of the house.” After reading this, one can comprehend that the narrator has recently given birth. Later on in the text, the narrator exclaims in anger after saying that she was not allowed to enter the nursery; much less, see her own child. This cruel separation from her child may not be the root of her depression, rather hormone imbalances that spike different chemicals responsible for emotion that release in one’s brain, leading to a mental disorder. Post-partum depression is common because of this fact (Pick). Such profound depression like the one the narrator finds herself in, can prove to be terrible in the sense that it can build into true hallucinogenic…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a new mother attempting to overcome her diagnosis of depression by being cooped up in a room without normal human interaction as prescribed by a top-rated male psychologist. The gender role expected of the nineteeth century woman was not ideal to the main character. The story goes on to critique the treatment plan set forth by her husband and psychologist. This in turn critiques the entire belief system in the nineteeth century that women should not be working outside the home. Gilman reveals in “Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’?” that the story parallels one of her own, with exaggeration (Gilman “Why I Wrote” 804). Through research and an analytical reading, I will demonstrate how Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” contradicts the gender roles that were placed on American women in the nineteenth century.…

    • 1964 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Yellow Wallpaper Symbolism

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story that deals with many different issues that woman in the 19th century had to deal with on a daily basis. Some of these issues were within their control, but many of them were outside of the realm of control for women. The main point that I will focus on is how restricted societal roles can cause insanity. I will do this by deciphering the meaning of the "yellow wallpaper" and its symbolism. In my opinion, I believe that once we get a better understanding of the author's interest in this subject area and get a feel for life in the 19th century, then we will have a better understanding of the story.…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Yellow Wallpaper

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Consider “The Yellow Wallpaper" as a feminist text. What does the work say about women and American culture at the turn of the century? How does the wife defeat the patriarchal culture represented in the attitude of her husband?…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Yellow Wall

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Reading “The Yellow wall paper made me feel small and vulnerable. Feelings that woman of that time were often privy too. My point of view on myself and the world didn’t change but I was reminded of how privileged I am to live in a world that values women.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite mankind’s attempts to create equality throughout history, today's society seems as far away from achieving that goal as it was years ago. The quote by George Orwell - “No advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform or revolution has ever brought human equality a millimeter nearer” - shows just how much more people have to do to create a society that is equal for all. An example of an attempt to shed light gender inequality is The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson. It is a semi autobiographical literary piece which was written after the author underwent a tough period in her life comprised of psychosis, divorce and the loss of custody of her child. The story focuses on the life of a young married woman who, over…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The stories of The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and A Room of One’s Own by Virgina Woolf are important to view in their historical contexts. Both novels demonstrate that there are limits placed on women that prevent them from living complete lives. This demeans women and does not give them the same rights and privileges as men. The Yellow Wallpaper demonstrates the attitudes during the nineteenth century that concern female mental and psychical health. Whereas A Room of One’s Own explores whether women are capable of writing great literature and the obstacles that they are faced. Each story demonstrates an common idea that women are viewed as unequal to men and that they must work a lot harder to achieve the respect they wish to gain.…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a short story that follows a female narrator suffering from hysteria. This short story opens with the narrator speaking of the summer home she is vacationing at with her husband, John (a physician). The narrator speaks of being sick, however she does not feel that her husband and her brother (who is also a physician) take her illness seriously. The narrator is diagnosed with hysteria and her treatment is being regulated to a bedroom and being put on bedrest. In the bedroom, the narrator fixates on the yellow wallpaper lining the bedroom that she absolutely hates. As the narrator fixates on the wallpaper, she begins to see designs and later a woman in the wallpaper. As time goes on the woman in the wallpaper multiplies. The narrator locks her husband out of the bedroom and begins to tear down the wallpaper. When John is finally able to gain access to the bedroom, he sees the room torn apart and his wife creeping around the room. This causes him to pass out and his wife creeps over him. According to the National Institute of Mental…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, an example from the late 1800’s on what women’s roles used to be would be from “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Which is about effect of confinement on the narrator's mental health, and her descent into psychosis, and with nothing to stimulate her, she becomes obsessed by the pattern and color of the wallpaper. It shows that women and men did not have equal parts in relationships. The story illustrates the male dominated society and relationship and how it was customary for men to assume that their gender knew what, when, how, and why to do things. For example when the narrator says, “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?” (Gilman) Throughout the beginning of the story, the narrator tends to buy into the idea that the man is…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gilman’s “ The Yellow Wallpaper” exposes a common gender stereotype during the late 19th century: by showing that men had more power over women, and how women were afraid to speak up for themselves. In society in the 19th century, women felt as if they were a burden from their spouse they are with this is shown when the narrator says, “ I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here l am a comparative burden already!” This influences how women try to kneel down to men to satisfy them. The narrator is revealing the feeling of trying, but even with trying it creates a burden. The stereotype of women “helping” and “ comforting” is shown here, therefore this created a stereotypical role women take part in. Extreme measures…

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays