Yellow Wallpaper Symbolism

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.

First, let's take a look at the background of Gilman before and after she wrote
Jane is unable to take care of her own baby for a one central reason: she is too depressed. Today, we would call this post-partum depression and we usually get over it, but in the 19th century this was not common. Just beginning to decipher this room, she goes on to say that there is a beautiful garden, only she has to look through barred windows to see it. Eventually, the narrator gets to the point where she takes notice of the wallpaper. Her first description of it says that it is: "dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide…destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions." (Gilman 659) This is quite an intense description that says many things. In a sense, the patterns on the wallpaper are being compared to women. It is as if women are confusing objects that are always annoyed, yet constantly receive study from others. When they are examined further, it is discovered that these objects are so full of contradictions that they will eventually self-destruct. This can also go to say that women have no common sense and therefore cannot be trusted to make logical decisions or defend themselves if the need should
Her senses are being constantly crowded with thoughts of the wallpaper and she is subconsciously trying to free herself from it. This eventually leads to her seeing bars in the pattern of the wallpaper and further towards schizophrenia coupled with a nervous breakdown. As this breakdown is nearing, she starts tearing the wallpaper off of the wall and locks her husband out: "I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path. I don't want to go out, and I don't want to have anybody come in, till John comes." (Gilman 668) What is this all about? She has a rope with her and she is continually tearing paper off of the wall. All the while she is mumbling about "…creeping women." (Gilman 668) She says: "I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did?" (Gilman 668) Maybe that is why she has rope. Maybe she is going to hang herself from the bars in the window once she frees herself from the