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

down, paint over it, or move to a new room. “I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened onto the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! But John would not hear of it” (Gilman 2). The wallpaper also had been torn in places and has ugly shades of yellow. “One of those sprawling, flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin” (Gilman 3). Going further into the story Jane begins writing in her journal about how she is more fixated on the paper than annoyed with it, after staring at the wallpaper for so long at night Jane begins to notice a figure appearing before the wallpaper. This woman behind the wallpaper represents Jane slipping into insanity. The more prominent the “creeping woman” becomes the more Jane starts to see the wallpaper as a cage around the woman and wants to help her escape from the paper. “.. That poor thing began to crawl and shake the pattern, I got up and ran to help her” (Gilman 13).
Jane’s love for the house is clear at the beginning, she talks about the garden and how lovely the surroundings are.

“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

awoke.
Jane held a tone of anxiety and desperation to get better for her family, she felt guilty for the treatment, the resting cure, that was so highly recommended from her brother and husband was not working. “You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression-a slight hysterical tendency- what is one to do?” (Gilman 1). Showing the story through Jane’s point of view shows her steady decline into insanity after being forced into the resting cure, she tries to voice her opinion of what will make her feel better but John brushes all of the pleas off. “Our lease will be up in three weeks, and I can’t see how to leave before.” (Gilman 8). “Bless her little heart! ... She shall be as sick as she pleases! But now let’s improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk in the morning!” (Gilman 9). John is not the villain so to speak, he means well and wishes his wife will get better but he does not want to change course from the resting cure. Throughout the story as Jane fakes becoming well, John believes the cure is working; but when she locks herself in the room he is shocked and even faints by discovering how truly insane his wife has become.