Symbolism In The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Gilman like her character, Jane, had postpartum depression after having her first child. In her short story it reflects off of how her real experience with Dr. S. Weir Mitchell and the resting cure effects Jane’s husband’s beliefs. By using the first person point-of-view we can see Jane’s steady decline into insanity after being cut-off from the outside world and how the yellow wallpaper becomes her fixation. Jane’s husband John is a physician in the early 20th century who avidly believes in the resting cure is the one who makes her believe that this treatment will work, since she is a woman her requests for going to see family or to leave the room are quickly set aside and ignored. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” symbolism plays a key role, especially in the wallpaper itself. At first Jane comments on it being ugly and wanting to take it

“The most beautiful place! It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village” (Gilman 2). She goes on in more detail about how luscious the plant life is around the house and who owned it before John rented it. Jane loves the room on the ground floor but John won’t allow her to move for health reasons. “Your exercise depends on your strength, my dear... and your food somewhat on your appetite; but air you can absorb all the time.” (Gilman 3). As the story moves along Jane mentions the rest of the house less and less as the wallpaper takes her attention. The moonlight plays a roll with the wallpaper by making it seem like it shifts and changes. “It was moonlight. The moon shines in all around just as the sun does. I hate to see it sometimes; it creeps so slowly, and always comes in by one window or another.” (Gilman 8). It referring to the lady “behind the wallpaper”, seemly moves with the moonlight, Jane also mentions she seemed to shake the paper before John