A Sheltered Woman

Chinese author Yiyun Li uses the central theme of madness in many of her short stories which causes her readers to question the psychological makeup of the human mind. In reading a short story by Yiyun Li, one analyzes the meaning of madness and what distinguishing factor condemns an individual to truly be considered mad. Madness is defined in many different ways. One who exhibits eccentric behavior may be considered mad, yet the ones who are considered mad may be the most intelligent people in the world. In Li’s short story “A Sheltered Woman”, two women with very different viewpoints on life, portray a subtle but definite form of madness. In this short story it is clear that Li views madness with a “discerning Eye” rather than defining it

Suffering from postpartum depression does not mean in any way that the new mother is crazy or a bad mother. The American Psychiatric Association defines postpartum depression as, “a major unipolar depressive disorder occurring within four to six weeks of giving birth and lasting for at least two consecutive weeks” (qtd. in Gao 304). With this simple definition, one can see that having this disorder does not make a new mother mad, it just puts a much greater toll on her. Chanel, for example, feels betrayed by her husband and her new baby, causing her functioning to become impaired emotionally, cognitively, behaviorally, and physically. She diagnosed herself with the disorder when she proclaims to the nanny Auntie Mei, “I dreamed that I flushed Baby down the toilet” (Li 1). She feels alone and does not understand why she is feeling the way she is. Whether it be postpartum depression or depression, one who undergoes such ordeals can struggle with aspects of their life, like perceiving themselves as failures or dealing with severe cognitive dissonance. With postpartum depression the reasoning behind the feelings and horrific images a new mother faces can be blamed on her hormones. The dramatic drop in the hormones estrogen and progesterone after pregnancy can lead directly to depression and sluggishness. Chanel is not mad, she is enduring the drawback of being a

She was raised in madness by her mother and grandmother. She was not brought up in a loving family. In fact she never knew who her father was because it was a contingency from her mother that her father never be a part of their lives. Auntie Mei does not feel completely fulfilled with her life. The thoughts running through her head are quite unsettling. When Chanel complains about what she eats while breastfeeding her baby, Auntie Mei, in her annoyance, says to herself, “I would rather you were a cow” (Li 1). She does not seem to truly care about anyone- not even herself, for if she does, she could end up like the asinine people around her. She forces herself to not become attached to anyone and to mange that she almost always leaves after the baby in her care is one month old. Unexpectedly, Auntie Mei takes special consideration when it comes to Chanel and her baby. Auntie Mei knows that Chanel will not care for her own child so she is left with no other option then to swaddle Baby with all the compassion she can manage. This newfound experience causes Auntie Mei’s imaginary wall to slowly but surely crumble into nothing. The questionable madness she once portrayed is now formulating into feelings she has never experienced, not even with her former husband. Auntie Mei was never truly mad, she thinks of things differently to protect herself from the