In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” there are different love relationships. One of which was with her husband, John. Superficially, it seems like nothing can go wrong. The “colonial mansion, hereditary estate… the most beautiful place [which has] a delicious garden… [and] greenhouses” was where they lived, which seemed so luxurious (648). It seems like she is given the best out of the best, but that apparently was not the best for her illness or state she was in. She needed fresh air, because when “there is something strange about the house [that she feels, John would say] what [she] felt was a draught, and shut the window” (648). There are so many indications in the story such as the house that relates to how Jane is feeling. Another instance would be that of “the windows [that were] barred for little children” (648). John only saw what was seen. In fact, he was described in the beginning of the story as a man with “no …show more content…
patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures” (647). He did not bother to look at Jane’s internal health, because as to what he can see, there is nothing wrong with her. In Jane’s case, she can only stay obedient and suppressed for her loved ones for so long until her emotions cannot cope with the situation she is in anymore. There is only so much one can do with the box one is confined in. “What can one do” with her physician husband and physician brother to tell her that there is nothing wrong with her and she is put under this rest cure (Stetson 647)? No matter how many times she raises her concern, “he does not believe [she] is sick” (647). Not only are they doctors, but they are family and family really wants nothing, but the best for their loved one. Their authoritative credentials as male and as physicians, no other opinion would be better than theirs to treat her “temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency” (648). In one way, they are seen as caring individuals to stop her from doing any work that may make her condition worse, but they did not listen to her concerns, still thinking their evaluation is the best treatment. Whatever made her feel comfortable whether that be writing or of “congenial work, with excitement and change” were shut down since “John would not hear of it” (648). Delashmit and Longcope, both critics in literature, mentioned in their critical analysis of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” that John, although he presents himself as a caring and loving husband, is overbearing and unknowingly cruel to the point of deserving censure. Armed with his medical knowledge, and the Victorian male’s condescending pose of infallible correctness, Gilman’s John the physician gently but relentlessly insists that his wife and ward follow his prescription of rest for brain and body” (Delashmit and Longcope 1). Still, for the love and respect for John, even after raising up her concerns, Jane would obey and listen to what “he said [or]… says” (Stetson 648-653, 655-656). She was always controlled. Her fate was determined by her husband. Being confined in such a limited space is stuffy and torturing. An academic analyst and author, Teddy Wayne, even realized that “John’s control over her… is his inhibiting her from writing. Though she feels writing would help her recover… John believes it only saps her strength. He stifles her creativity and intellect and forces her into the domesticated position of a powerless wife” (Wayne 2). At this rate, Jane was foreshadowed to not improve on her health. Her husband is authoritative and controlling, but in a caring aspect. Sometimes, she would “get unreasonably angry with John” (Stetson 648). In this context, it may not be anger Jane is feeling, but of disappointment. She knows John is doing what he would do for situations like Jane is in, but he is not doing what he can do to help her situation. She does not see this as care, but in a lesser tone of torture and ignorance. “John says [she] mustn’t lose [her] strength and has [her] take cod liver oil and lots of tonics and things” (651). It was not until she looked weak that she started to worry. It was not any better with her relationship with John’s sister, Jennie. Both as women, people would think they could relate to one another and build a strong connection and understanding between the two, but that is not what was experienced here. Worried like the John and the brother, she wants Jane to be well again. However, just like the rest, she listened to the other two men’s treatment for Jane: to do nothing whatsoever. Even Jane has the same reaction she does with John in terms of not letting her see she is writing. However, “[she] can write when she is out, and see her a long way off from these windows” (650). She does feel a bit more comfortable writing while she was around rather than around John where she could wait “here two weeks, and [she] haven’t felt like writing before, since that first day” (649). At least Jennie listens to her where she “is good and lets [Jane] alone when [she] wants [Jennie] to” (650). She understands she cares about her, but it is almost the same with the relationship with John. No one is really listening to her internally nor looking within. As exclaimed again by Delashmit and Longcope, Jennie is “a diminutive of Jane” (Delashmit 33). In other words, Jane is a woman who lives in that time period following the time period of being obedient and so on. Instead, the identity of the woman Jane kept inside was the real Jane that was held back by the society and period in which she lived in. Mildly described in the story, there is also an apparent love relationship between Jane and her baby. Over time, Jane knows something is wrong with her, but does not know what it is. Because she cannot do anything in the house, she cannot even give care to her own baby. “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby” (Stetson 649). Mary, assumed to be a care giver is more capable of taking the baby than she is. “And yet [she] cannot be with him, it makes [her] so nervous” (649). With that nervousness in mind, she is conscious and strong enough to keep some distance away from the baby. This is a hint to the reader that she has postpartum depression. In the beginning when she was just starting to have minor symptoms of postpartum depression was when her child was still a baby. It was near the end of the story, at the end of the three month rent, when she went insane. As Hal Blythe, Charlie Sweet, and Barbara Szubinska, colleagues in the English Department at Eastern Kentucky University, have mentioned in their analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Jane does “admit that ‘it is getting to a great effort for [her] to think straight’ (Stetson 652)” (Blythe 79). At the end she slowly gives into her depression by “getting angry enough to do something desperate” (655). Still, we know she has a conscious motherly love for her baby feeling that “one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper” (652). This is where it gets a bit trivial according to Dr. William Veeder, a scholar of the 19th century American and British literature and a Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at the University of Chicago: ‘No wonder the children hated it [the wallpaper]! I should hate it myself’ (Stetson 649). The syntactic parallel of ‘children hate it’ and ‘I should hate it’ makes an equation expressive of the heroine’s infantile desires. As she says she ‘should’ hate the wallpaper but is in fact fascinated by it, so her protests against confinement to the ‘nursery’ are just that – protesting too much. Her very act of calling the attic room a ‘nursery’ is symptomatic, for there is no evidence that the room ever had this function (Veeder 45) Though Jane had said she despised the yellow wallpaper, she connected herself with the baby and children who have hated this wallpaper. This comes along with postpartum depression as well when a part of a woman seems to be missing as if you are not whole. In this excerpt, Jane looks not only through her eyes but the eyes of children as well. However, like mentioned before, the relationship of Jane and the wallpaper is a totally other story, which is also one of the four relationships that best fits the love parameters today. Interestingly enough, the wallpaper is a nonliving thing, but over time the wallpaper is given personification and the images behind the wallpaper become as real as a living being.
The wallpaper is the closest thing Jane connected to throughout the short story. The wallpaper is the only object in the story that is fully detailed, becoming a well-rounded character. With this in mind, the wallpaper and Jane fits well under the 21st century parameters of love especially with trust, respect, communication, sacrifice, quality time, intimacy, understanding, and independence. The short story read from “The Yellow Wallpaper” is of her diary she kept since the first day of their move. Throughout the book, we see breaks in the short story based on when Jennie or John walks into the picture. When they are not present that is when Jane continues to write. There is a sense of trust built and is seen especially at the end when she brings her diary into her bedroom writing about the women behind the wallpaper. The wallpaper became something precious to
her: Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be. You see I have something more to expect, to look forward to watch. I really do eat better, and am more quiet than I was. John is so pleased to see me improve! He laughed a little the other day, and said I seemed to be flourishing in spite of my wall-paper. I turned it off with a laugh. I had no intention of telling him it was because of the wall-paper – he would make fun of me. He might even want to take me away. I don’t want to leave now until I have found it out. There is a week more, and I think that will be enough (Stetson 653). She learned that anything she brought up to John would be taken away from her eventually. Things she despised like the wallpaper at first was considered to be replaced, but ultimately stuck with her, which she became completely appreciative of. That, is the respect she has for the wallpaper. At first she hated it, but then she started to take interest of it, seeing how “it changes as the light changes,” and embraced it, “watch[ing] it always” (653). She eventually made the wallpaper seem to come to life, but only she could see it. Direct and indirect communication is also seen within this relationship. The direct relationship was of being marked by the paint of the wallpaper, which Jennie said “that the paper stained everything it touched” (653). The intimacy and connection grew as she started to see women creeping behind the wallpaper. The realization of her as one of the women was the strongest intimacy. In fact, the wallpaper is quite masculine and powerful as Dr. William Veeder analyzed: She makes him faint. This traditionally feminine act seems particularly emasculating because the woman under the wallpaper has already been called ‘the faint figure’ (Stetson 652) and John has already been described as ‘sleeping under this paper for three months’ (655). Thus John as a fainting figure has changed place with ‘the woman; taking on the female attributes of incarcerated and ‘castrated’ powerlessness as she assumes the male prerogatives of freedom and force (Veeder 51). The wallpaper actually gave her the power to fight for her freedom from John. She finally received the “advice and companionship” Jane had wished for (Stetson 649). She came to an understanding that she was deprived of being her true self; she was too blind with the orders she was given just because “John says [or]… said” so (648-653, 655-656). Everything was coming into place; the puzzle of her identity was almost complete. Even Delashmit and Longcope mentioned that “at the moment when Gilman’s narrator completes the identification with her double in the wallpaper, she experiences an epiphany” (Delashmit 32). The independent feeling of finally escaping and healed as she “got out at last” was extremely mind-blowing as she sacrificed herself from her conscious mental state (Stetson 656). All the quality time she spent with the wallpaper was paid off since the love for the wallpaper or even the women behind the wallpaper is what set her free; she can finally be herself. Free at last, leaving Jane behind as she becomes the woman creeping behind the wallpaper. What is seen isn’t what it seems. It is ironic to realize that Jane had to lose herself to find herself. Women during that time were stereotyped, where a woman cannot be fully herself or she will be judged or punished. Instead of the rest cure that was treated to Jane, there are now different treatments offered for those women who suffer through postpartum depression today. According to webmd.com, “about 90% of women who have postpartum depression can be treated successfully with medication or a combination of medication and psychotherapy” (“Understanding Postpartum Depression – Diagnosis and Treatment” 2). Freedom was the whole point of love in this short story of “The Yellow Paper.” Through the love she received from the wallpaper, she was finally free. Free from the “care” she was getting from her husband and the other characters that looked after her. She proved that she didn’t need anyone to help her through her depression, it was always herself. That type of power really empowers the woman Jane came out to be as her own true self who was hiding and barred behind the wallpaper this whole time. Love is a strong affection and can be much unexpected like Jane’s situation with the wallpaper in “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
The setting of these two stories emphasize, on visually showing us how the main characters are based around trying to find freedom despite the physical, mental and emotional effects of living in confinement. While on the other hand, dealing with Psychology’s ugly present day behavior showing dystopia of societies views of women during the time period they lived.
Jane’s new home seems to make her feel very uncomfortable from the beginning of “The Yellow Wallpaper” when she states “that there is something queer about it.” She says that John tells her the vacation home will be a good place for her, but even seems unsure of that proclamation herself (Gilman 956). Jane begins to describe her environment and speaks of how she is unsure of exactly what the room was used for before her arrival. She speaks of bars on the windows and strange rings on the wall. More significantly she speaks of the “repellant” and “revolting” wallpaper on the wall that seems to disturb Jane a deal more than any of the other odd décor in the room. She also speaks of how the children must have really hated it and that is why is has been peeled off in places (Gilman 957). The wallpaper continues to bother Jane throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper”, but Jane also begins to dislike her husband.
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Although the work is short, it is one of the most interesting works in existence. Gilman uses literary techniques very well. The symbolism of The Yellow Wallpaper, can be seen and employed after some thought and make sense immediately. The views and ideals of society are often found in literary works. Whether the author is trying to show the ills of society of merely telling a story, culture is woven onto the words. The relationship between the narrator and her husband would be disagreeable to a modern woman's relationship. Today, most women crave equality with their partner. The reader never learns the name of the narrator, perhaps to give the illusion that she could be any woman. On the very fist page of The Yellow Wall-Paper, Gilman illustrates the male dominated society and relationship. It was customary for men to assume that their gender knew what, when, how, and why to do things. John, the narrator's husband, is a prominent doctor and both his and his wife's words and actions reflect the aforementioned stereotype: "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage," (9). This statement illustrates the blatant sexism of society at the time. John does not believe that his wife is sick, while she is really suffering from post-partum depression. He neglects to listen to his wife in regard to her thoughts, feelings, and health through this thought pattern. According to him, there is not anything wrong with his wife except for temporary nerve issues, which should not be serious.
Jane’s relationship with the woman in the wallpaper is complicated to be sure. At face value their relationship seems to be one of collaboration since Jane’s objective is to
Finally, the yellow wallpaper presents perspectives of how men control females. As stated previously, In the story, John uses his power as a doctor to control his wife. He encaged his wife in a summer home, placing her in a room filled with barricades and many faults. As a human she is deprived of her rights and her ability to form house duties is taken away so she can rest as he calls it. Without a doubt, she fell into insanity because of the situation she was placed in. When she ripped the paper off the wall, it was a sign of freedom from her husband, and the bars that held her captive for weeks. Certainly she has a vivid imagination and being placed in bondage and unable to write which in turn lead her to mental health problems.
Despite the fall of its popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries, Gilman uses this form of writing to show the narrator’s thoughts as well as her point of view. The Yellow Wallpaper uses the narrator’s journal as a way to seeing into her mind and giving another perspective to the tale. Although not being permitted by her husband and his sister, “[Jane] did write for a while in spite of them” (2). The journal is very important to the story because without it, it would not be possible to know what she’s thinking and the story wouldn’t make much sense. With the journal, Jane’s thoughts are revealed and her actions are justified. The journal is also important due to it being her first sign of rebellious behavior. It is the flame that lights the fire of her discovering what she really wants. The journal to Jane is a method of self-expression that helps her cope with all the difficulties of being left alone in creepy nursery. The story and her behavior escalate after she writes in her journal. She starts to think about what it would be like if she got out of there and even asks John if they could move out. The journal leads her to second guess what she is doing and it is the beginning of her
They both feel trapped within their own lives, emotionally and physically. She saw the woman in the wallpaper as a companion in her days of isolation and self-meditation, and she realized that she needed to break free of her husband’s expectations and live her life her desired way. This gave readers insight to the emotional tendencies of the main character and motivations from discovering the meaning of the intricate wallpaper design. This is achieved when she states, “I’ve got out at last in spite of you and Jane. I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!”
Although both protagonists in the stories go through a psychological disorder that turns their lives upside down, they find ways to feel content once again. In Charlotte Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," a nervous wife, an overprotective husband, and a large, damp room covered in musty wallpaper all play important roles in driving the wife insane. Gilman's masterful use of not only the setting, both time and place, but also of first person point of view, allows the reader to process the woman's growing insanity. The narrator develops a very intimate relationship with the yellow wallpaper throughout the story, as it is her constant companion. Her initial reaction to it is a feeling of hatred; she dislikes the color and despises the pattern, but does not attribute anything peculiar to it. Two weeks into their stay she begins to project a sort of personality onto the paper, so she studies the pattern more closely, noticing for the first time “a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure that seems to skulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design” (Gilman). At this point, her madness is vague, but becoming more defined, because although the figure that she sees behind the pattern has no solid shape, she dwells on it and
Likewise, in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the wallpaper is used as symbol of the character’s imprisonment within the domestic sphere. Throughout the story, the wallpaper becomes the narrators’ imagination and appears as a female figure. The narrator’s husband, John, who has a higher
MacPike, Loralee. "Environment as Psychopathological Symbolism in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.’” Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Thomas J. Schoenberg, vol. 201, Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com.gmclibrary.idm.oclc.org/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&u=mill30389&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CH1420082948&asid=562f132388d74c4bd92439b5842a2fe7. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.
In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, a woman living in the 19h century is telling about a summer she spent in a house, which turns out to be an eerie and gloomy stay. A woman, who is suffering from depression, tells the story in 1st point of view. She tells about her experience and how she felt. She even lets us in on her thoughts. She eventually finds a way to escape from her imprisonment.
In seeing the story through the wife's eyes, we can see that her mental illness in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is inevitable. Between society's view of women at that time, the husband's attitude towards her, and his ineffective remedies, the wife's mental instability can only grow worse. The wallpaper lets the reader follow the woman's regression into insanity as the story progresses. Only with the first person point of view (the wife's) can the reader follow this regression of the mind. All in all, this is a sad story of a woman's struggle for sanity in an indifferent society.
The narrator and her husband moves into an old ancestral hall for the summer, however, she immediately senses an odd feeling about the place. John scoffs at her superstitions and uses his position as a doctor to dissipate anymore thoughts of the sort. Gilman writes, “John is a physician, and perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind–) perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster"(Gilman 16). Gilman has cleverly taken the reader into the innermost realms of a woman’s mind and experiences, yet the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper remains anonymous, a reflection of her status in society. The role of narration plays a very important role in developing the pathway the story is told. John is part of a patriarchal old-school ideology that relegated women 's feelings to irrelevant hysterics. John would have attributed his wife 's problems to "women issues" and stress. Her ultimate craziness would have been attributed to forces outside his control as a male. Gilman also highlights the importance of first-person narration by dealing with ethos. The narrator of “The Yellow Wall-Paper" appears credible as the story opens, but as her mental state deteriorates, so does her credibility. In the beginning, she writes
The wallpaper, the narrator's obsession, destroyed the peace of mind for all parties concerned. The imagery, used in the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper", paints a vivid picture and the reader becomes a front row spectator to the mental deterioration of the narrator to utter insanity.
In literature, women are often depicted as weak, compliant, and inferior to men. The nineteenth century was a time period where women were repressed and controlled by their husband and other male figures. Charlotte Gilman, wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper," showing her disagreement with the limitations that society placed on women during the nineteenth century. According to Edsitement, the story is based on an event in Gilman’s life. Gilman suffered from depression, and she went to see a physician name, Silas Weir Mitchell. He prescribed the rest cure, which then drove her into insanity. She then rebelled against his advice, and moved to California to continue writing. She then wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which is inflated version of her experience. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the main character is going through depression and she is being oppressed by her husband and she represents the oppression that many women in society face. Gilman illustrates this effect through the use of symbols such as the yellow wallpaper, the nursery room, and the barred windows.