The short essay “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Sylvia Plath’s novel, The Bell Jar, tell the story of two women slowly slipping into a mental breakdown, though the two are not as mad as they seem. Many evident and important similarities exist in the lives of Esther and the unnamed narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which imply that these two stories of ‘mad women’ are not simple accounts of mental illness, but indications of an underlying problem. In Susan Bordo’s analytical essay, she examines mental illnesses common to women during certain eras to argue that these illnesses are a reflection of and objection to the ‘traditional’ gender roles of their times. A comparison of the essay and the novel, in conjunction with …show more content…
Susan Bordo’s critical essay, shows a connection between traditional gender roles and mental illness. An examination of the struggles with mental illness witnessed in both female protagonists in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and The Bell Jar demonstrates the overwhelmingly negative effects of imposing traditional gender roles upon women. The two protagonists struggle to fit into their designated roles as ‘wife and mother’ and ‘future housewife’ and succumb to madness in protest of these externally imposed expectations. Esther and the narrator face the impractical reality of rebelling against traditional gender roles due to the long history of societal acceptance for these cultural norms. The narrator displays her submissiveness and fragility through the repetition of the phrase “but what is one to do?” though she continually disagrees with her husband, John, and his method of treating her illness. During that time period women were oppressed by men. Men would not let women do anything and they would not have a voice which was a common theme in the 1950s Esther, in The Bell Jar, struggles to accept these roles as mother and wife as something she should strive for. When thinking about what marriage would be like, she says that waking up every morning to cook and clean while her husband was at work “seemed a dreary and wasted life for a girl with fifteen years of straight A’s” . Though she has an enviable internship in New York, a promising future, and a line of potential suitors, Esther becomes disillusioned when she realizes what future awaits her. The two mental illnesses depicted in the novel and essay can be better understood through Susan Bordo’s work, “Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body.” It can be inferred that the narrator suffers from hysteria, a disorder common in the late 19th century characterized by “easy fatigability and often lack of motivation, as well as feelings of inadequacy” . The narrator experiences exhaustion, dissociation with those around her, feelings of failure as a wife and mother, and inability to write or express herself. Agoraphobia, similar to hysteria, includes a “loss of mobility, loss of voice, and inability to leave the home” , which are characteristics attributed to Esther in The Bell Jar. Esther confines herself inside, dissociates from those around her, and faces the inability to find the words to express herself through writing. Esthere feels like she is trapped in a world all by herself and no one can do anything about that. She accepts the fact that she will never be happy again. Even though as her mom tries everything she can to heal her. Esther and the narrator’s disorders dramatize the gender stereotypes typical of their era. Susan Bordo asserts that these mental illnesses are a reaction to overwhelming pressure to live up to traditional gender roles. Instead of outright rejection of these gender roles, the women become living examples of these societal ideals instead . For the narrator, this equates to exaggerated helplessness. Esther, faced with the reality of becoming the stereotypical housewife, confines herself to her home and loses her identity and her writing because she feels it will soon be stripped away anyways. She ultimately attempts suicide in order to escape the overwhelming pressure from her mother, friends, and professors. The authors use these stories of mental illness as a critique of these gender roles. IT shows how little power women had during this time period. This is symbolic of the Plath’s life. Plath made great poems but they were not published that often. Being a female writer at the time was difficult. That was evident in Plath’s poems. Her poems were very dark and sad. Which clearly shows that Plath had a problem but no one ever realized until she committed suicide at the young age of 30. The similarities between the two protagonists’ lives suggest that these two works of literature are not simple accounts of a sick person’s struggle with mental illness; but, rather, distressing signs of an overarching and much larger problem.
Their similar slow progressions into mental breakdowns have already been established. However, another strong similarity between the two works is their titles. The yellow wallpaper in Gilman’s essay creates symbolizes the narrator’s feelings of being trapped by her overbearing husband and the idealized the stay at home wife stereotype. Further, the image of a bell jar, as both the title of the novel and an important metaphor used by Esther herself, symbolizes the feeling of being cut-off from the world, protected from the outside due to one’s innocence. Another important connection is the author’s use of their works to critique psychiatric medicine, a field historically dominated by men. John has complete authority over his wife’s medical care and recovery. From his professional diagnosis as a doctor, he declares, “there is really nothing the matter with her but temporary nervous depression” and she is “absolutely forbidden to write” until she gets better. He confines her to the room and discourages her from writing or talking about her condition by waving it off as a basic depression. Esther encounters something similar with her male doctors. Dr. Gordon, a psychiatrist, displays the same lack of empathy as John when seeing Esther and she fails to make any progress. John and Dr. Gordon, both doctors, represent the pervasive presence of patriarchy in society, where men dominate the public sphere and women’s voices are silenced. It is not until Esther sees a woman doctor, Dr. Nolan, that her voice is actually heard and the treatment options allow for self-expression and growth. Esther throughout her life had been held back by men. Dr. Gordon would use the shock treatment and would not be able to understand what was thinking.
One Esther did not want to talk to Dr. Gordon because he was a male and she did not like him from the start. Dr. Nolan can relate to Esther better which is why Esther seemed to get when started meeting with Dr.Nolan. The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is not so fortunate and it remains unknown whether or not she recovers from her breakdown. These individual similarities between the works could constitute an entire literary analysis paper on their own, however, studied together they provide evidence that the authors aim to attack a larger problem. The cages that trap the two women reflect society’s constraining gender roles, the high expectations to fill those roles, and the smothering of one’s ambitions, hopes, and expressions. to the reader, the protagonists appear to be rational and sensible in their discontent with the world around them. This is due in part to Gillman and Plath’s extremely informal writing styles and the use of first person narrative that allow the reader to peer into the heads of these two women. Furthermore, the stories are structured so that there are very slow progressions into insanity that draws the reader in and makes them believe that ‘going mad’ is the only viable option left for these two women surrounded by social pressures. The authors manipulate and guide the reader’s perception of Esther and the narrator through the first person point of view. The reader can only infer the thoughts and feelings of other characters and relies on the protagonists for all information and details. However, Plath and Gilman expertly write the two ‘mad women’ as the only sane individuals in the story, therefore building a great level of trust between the character and the reader. The flow of narration in “The Yellow Wallpaper” reads like a series of private diary entries that the narrator only shares with the reader. The effect of this is an inflated trust in the narrator a a severe distrust of John and his motives. In The Bell Jar, Esther’s perspective provides a filter through which the reader understands the plot of the story. Much of the story is actually recollections or an inner dialog with herself. Again, this helps build trust with the reader because she is seen as a young girl thrust into terrible circumstances. Even when the narrator ‘creeps’ around the perimeter of the room over and over and Esther finds herself in a mental hospital determined that suicide remains the only option, the reader trusts what they say and do. The two protagonists should be untrustworthy narrators due to their diagnosed mental illnesses; however, the authors use the trust between the narrator and reader to assert that the women’s madness is more of a protest against society than an actual illness or mental disorder. The use of first person narrative adds to the author’s overall goal of critiquing gender stereotypes by creating reliable narrators that protest so strongly though their ‘madness’ against the gendered system that attempts to control and belittle them. The Bell Jar and “The Yellow Wallpaper” tell the stories of two women’s struggle to fit into society’s gender roles and how that struggle leads to mental illness. The authors use the stories of Esther and the narrator to criticize gender roles and their constraining quality. The works display many similar characteristics, specifically in women’s experiences and the manner in which they are diagnosed and treated. These works have real world implications as well. The authors use their works to criticize the treatment of mental illness and the refusal to link it with gender roles and pressures many women face. Gilman and Plath, through their fictional works, describe a widespread problem that many women face. An analysis of these works concludes that gender roles have a severely negative impact on women's mental health. Therefore, imposing gender roles upon women, as seen in The Bell Jar and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” has adverse effects on their mind, body, and spirit.
The two pieces of writing that will be compared are The Yellow Wall Paper and The Bell Jar. Both these two pieces of writing are very similar yet very, different. The two main characters being compared are Jane from The Yellow Wall Paper and Esther from The Bell Jar. Both of the women in these stories let the expectations of society get the best of them. The expectations of society drive both these women to the point of becoming almost insane. Both these women just want to be as good as everyone else but it just isn’t possible for them. Also these women let others control their fate. These two characters can be very different as well. As society changes Esther from The Bell Jar has more flexibility of what choices she wants to make, then Jane
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” has opened many people’s eyes since it was first published in 1892. In the beginning, readers only acknowledged Gilman’s story as showing how women with mental illnesses were treated by physicians during the 1800’s. They overlooked the deeper meaning the text contained, and it was not until later that readers discovered it. Eventually, “The Yellow Wallpaper” became known as feminist literature. Gilman does a great job showing how women suffered from inadequate medical treatment, but above that she depicts how nineteenth century women were trapped in their roles in society and yearned to escape from being controlled by males.
The narrator makes comments and observations that demonstrate her will to overcome the oppression of the male dominant society. The conflict between her views and those of the society can be seen in the way she interacts physically, mentally, and emotionally with the three most prominent aspects of her life: her husband, John, the yellow wallpaper in her room, and her illness, "temporary nervous depression. " In the end, her illness becomes a method of coping with the injustices forced upon her as a woman. As the reader delves into the narrative, a progression can be seen from the normality the narrator displays early in the passage, to the insanity she demonstrates near the conclusion.
When first reading the gothic feminist tale, “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, one might assume this is a short story about a women trying to save her sanity while undergoing treatment for postpartum depression. Gilman herself had suffered post-natal depression and was encouraged to undergo the “rest cure” to cure her hysteria. The treatment prescribed to Gilman resulted in her having a very similar experience as the narrator in the short story. The “perfect rest” (648), which consisted of forced bed rest and isolation sparked the inspiration for “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This story involving an unreliable narrator, became an allegory for repression of women. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Gilman illustrates the seclusion and oppression of women in the nineteenth century society by connecting the female imprisonment, social and mental state, and isolation to the objects in and around the room.
The character of the husband, John, in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is introduced as a respected physician and a caring husband who strives to improve the mental health of his wife, the narrator, who is diagnosed with temporary nervous condition. John tries throughout the story to apply professional treatment methods and medications in his approach to helping his wife gain strength. However, his patient, his wife, seems to disregard John’s professional opinions and act as if she is following his advices only during his awakening presence with her. The narrator seems to be in need of John’s positive opinion about the status of her mental condition in order to avoid the criticism even though she disagrees with his treatment methodology. John, without doubt, cares for his wife and her wellbeing, but he does not realize how his treatment method negatively impacts their relationship his wife’s progress towards gaining strength. Although John was portrayed as a caring and a loving physician and husband to the narrator through out most of the story, he was also suggested as being intrusive and directive to a provoking level in the mind of the narrator.
The Yellow Wallpaper from the Point of View of a Doctor's Wife "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story told from the first person point of view of a doctor's wife who has nervous condition. The first person standpoint gives the reader access only to the woman’s thoughts, and thus, is limited. The limited viewpoint of this story helps the reader to experience a feeling of isolation, just as the wife feels throughout the story. The point of view is also limited in that the story takes place in the present, and as a result the wife has no benefit of hindsight, and is never able to actually see that the men in her life are part of the reason she never gets well. This paper will discuss how Gilman’s choice of point of view helps communicate the central theme of the story- that women of the time were viewed as being subordinate to men.
Sylvia Plath wrote the semi autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, in which the main character, Esther, struggles with depression as she attempts to make herself known as a writer in the 1950’s. She is getting the opportunity to apprentice under a well-known fashion magazine editor, but still cannot find true happiness. She crumbles under her depression due to feeling that she doesn’t fit in, and eventually ends up being put into a mental hospital undergoing electroshock therapy. Still, she describes the depth of her depression as “Wherever I sat - on the deck of a ship or at a street a cafe in Paris or Bangkok - I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air” (Plath 178). The pressure to assimilate to society’s standards from her mother, friends, and romantic interests, almost pushes her over the edge and causes her to attempt suicide multiple times throughout her life. Buddy Willard, Esther’s boyfriend at a time, asks her to marry him repeatedly in which she declines. Her mother tries to get her to marry and makes her go to therapy eventually, which leads to the mental hospital. Esther resents the way of settling down and making a family, as well as going out and partying all night. She just wants to work to become a journalist or publisher. Though, part of her longs for these other lives that she imagines livings, if she were a different person or if different things happened in her life. That’s how Elly Higgenbottom came about. Elly is Esther when Esther doesn’t want to be herself to new people. Esther’s story portrays the role of women in society in the 1950’s through Esther’s family and friends pushing her to conform to the gender roles of the time.
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," the reader is treated to an intimate portrait of developing insanity. At the same time, the story's first person narrator provides insight into the social attitudes of the story's late Victorian time period. The story sets up a sense of gradually increasing distrust between the narrator and her husband, John, a doctor, which suggests that gender roles were strictly defined; however, as the story is just one representation of the time period, the examination of other sources is necessary to better understand the nature of American attitudes in the late 1800s. Specifically, this essay will analyze the representation of women's roles in "The Yellow Wallpaper" alongside two other texts produced during this time period, in the effort to discover whether Gilman's depiction of women accurately reflects the society that produced it.
Throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman tells her readers the story of a woman desperate to be free. Gilman’s use of symbolism is nothing short of brilliant in telling the story of a new mother suffering from postpartum depression and fighting her way through societies ideas of what a woman should be. When her husband, John, also known as her physician, tells her nothing is wrong with her mind, at first she believes him because she knows that society tells her she should. However, with her husband’s misdiagnosis, or attempt to keep his wife sane for the sake of their reputation, comes a short journey into madness for his wife, Jane. Jane’s downward spiral, as one may call it, turns out to be not so downward when the reader
In Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the author takes the reader through the terrors of a woman’s psychosis. The story convey to understatements pertaining to feminism and individuality that at the time was only idealized. Gillman illustrates her chronological descent into insanity. The narrators husband John, who is also her physician diagnosed her with “nervous depression” and therefore ordered her to isolate until she recuperates. She is not only deprived of outside contact but also of her passion to write, since it could deteriorate her condition. The central conflict of the story is person versus society; the healthy part of her, in touch with herself clashing with her internalized thoughts of her society’s expectations. In a feminist point of view the central idea pertains to the social confinement that woman undergo due to their society.
The unnamed narrator finds herself trapped within a large room lined with yellow wallpaper and hidden away from all visitors by her husband-physician John. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a summer spent in the large ancestral hall to find healing through rest turns into the manic changes of her mind. The overbearing nature of her husband inspires a program designed to make her better; ironically, her mind takes a turn for the worse when she believes the wallpaper has come to life. In Janice Haney-Peritz’s “Monumental Feminism and Literature’s Ancestral House: Another Look at ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ ”, she tells that until 1973, Gilman’s story was not seen with a feminist outlook. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was misunderstood and unappreciated when it was published. The patriarchal attitudes of men in this era often left women feeling they had no voice and were trapped in their situations. Although originally interpreted as a horror of insanity, this initial perspective misses the broad, provocative feminist movement that Gilman supported. With the changes in perspective, over time this work has come to have a voice for women and the husband-wife relationship through the theme of feminism.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” was a groundbreaking piece for its time. It not only expressed feministic views through the defiance of a male but also discussed mental illness and the inefficacy of medical treatment at the time. This fictional piece questioned and challenged the submissive role forced upon women of the 19th century and disclosed some of the mental struggles one might go through during this time of questing. Gilman shows however that even in the most horrific struggle to overcome male dominance, it is possible. She herself escapes which again shows a feminist empowerment to end the
A woman driven crazy by post partum depression and a dangerous treatment summarizes the short story of “The Yellow Wallpaper”. The story was influenced by the 19th century women’s depression and their vision of life. Through phantasmagoric symbolism in “The Yellow Wallpaper” Gilman is able to speak volumes on the destruction and autonomy of feminist self-expression, the restrictions of gender roles, and the patriarchal paradigm.
Literature is the superlative resource when one is attempting to comprehend or fathom how society has transformed over the centuries. Many written works—whether fictional or nonfictional—express the views of gender roles and societies’ expectations. Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar is an exemplary novel that explores these issues. Ester Greenwood was portrayed the superficial and oppressive values of the mid-twentieth century American society through her experiences of gender inequalities and social conformities. Plath’s own life was correspondingly mirrored in this novel; which in turn left the reader aware of the issues in her time period.
A notable image that readers of the twentieth-century literature easily recognize is a bell jar. A bell jar is an unbreakable, stiff glass container that confines objects within its inescapable walls. It metaphorically represents the suffocating and an airless enclosure of conformism prevalent during the 1950’s American society. More specifically, American societal standards approve men to have the dominant role as they are encouraged to attend college in order to pursue professional careers. They are given the responsibility of financially supporting their families. In contrast, a women’s life in the 1950’s is centralized around family life and domestic duties only. They are encouraged to remain at home, raise children and care for their husbands. Women are perceived as highly dependent on their husbands and their ability to receive education is regarded as a low priority. Thus, the social conventions and expectations of women during the 1950’s displayed in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath correlate to Esther Greenwood’s downward spiral of her mental state. Throughout the course of her journey, Esther becomes increasingly depressed because of her inability to conform to the gender roles of the women, which mainly revolved around marriage, maternity and domesticity.