Mental Illness In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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In 1892 Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote a short story called the The Yellow Wallpaper. The story is told from a first person viewpoint, as the speaker writes within her journal. One of the themes in the story is a husband trying to deal with his wife’s mental illness. The speaker is a woman that is suffering from post-partum depression after recently having a child. During a summer vacation her husband, John, makes her stay in an upstairs room because of her mental state. John believes that keeping her in this room relieves stress within her mind. The speaker begins to develop psychosis because she has no mental stimulation other than her journal. She begins to obsess over the yellow wallpaper on the wall, the only visually stimulating thing within the room. She begins to think that another woman is watching her …show more content…

People often like to joke about famous people that are develop mental illness. Others show sympathy towards them and do whatever they can to help them. The author of THE DOUBLE STANDARD OF MENTAL ILLNESS suggest that “we sympathize with those who suffer in silence and gawk and grimace at those who suffer in plain sight” (1). In the 19th century an average citizen wouldn’t know that a famous person was suffering from mental illness because information wasn’t spread as quickly. In the 21st century information is spread very quickly which causes people to learn things really fast. Comedy shows often make light of the issues a celebrity is going through as a form of entertainment. Recently comedian Robin Williams committed suicide after suffering from depression. Many people showed sympathy towards him & his family. However recently Amanda Bynes, a child star, has been suffering from schizophrenia and has been made fun of constantly. The majority of people don’t see mental illness as a problem unless someone dies as a result of

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