The Yellow Wallpaper: A Feminist Prison

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Recommended: The early 20th century and the condition of women

The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses aspects of the feminist theory to develop the plot as well as create an image of the time. The narrator lives in a patriarchal society where a man’s opinions are rarely, if ever questioned. Throughout the course of the story, the opinions of the narrator, a female, are not valued; men plan out every aspect of her life. The narrator is also treated as weaker than her male counterparts and is referred to using pet names, particularly those given to children. Finally, due to the previously mentioned components of her life, the narrator is confined to the attic of the mansion and it is likely that it is this confinement that drove her to insanity. The Yellow Wallpaper opposes feminist ideologies through the poor regard of the narrator, while using these same ideologies to further develop the plot.

Throughout the entirety of the story, the narrator’s opinions are not valued. Whenever she voices her own thoughts, they are belittled or disregarded. When mentioning the prospect that the house is haunted, the narrator observes that, “John laughs at me, of course” (Gilman, 1). Not only does this show the value John has of her belief that the house is haunted, but also by saying “of course” (1) the narrator shows that this is not by any way a new phenomenon. She is accustomed to her husband treating her in this way. Her opinions are given as much merit when dealing with her own illness. As the narrator mentions after her husband John, a physician, examines her, “he does not believe I am sick!”(1). Because her husband has no medical evidence that she is indeed sick, he doesn’t take her seriously, believing that she is making up her illness even though she tells him she does not feel well...

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...her own life and treatment in question. As a result, her husband’s, and ultimately societies, view towards women intensified her postpartum depression, which may have been very mild. In addition, she is pushed to the edge of the world like a child as well as living her life as one. Her confinement due to stereotypical patriarchal views of her simply because she is a woman leads to hysteria, which ultimately demonstrates that it is through the lack of equality for women and more specifically the narrator of this story that leads to a tragic outcome.

Works Cited

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. Print.

"Post Partum Depression." Canadian Mental Health Association. Canadian Mental Health Association, 2011. Web. 9 Jul 2011. .

“Fancy.” Def. Collins Gem English Dictionary. Canadian ed. 1992.

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