The Yellow Wallpaper Rhetorical Analysis

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Gilman meticulously constructs a narrative world that embodies the intricate struggles of the underclass, particularly women, as they seek emancipation from the hegemonic powers of a patriarchal society. Through the epistolary form, Gilman gives voice to the internal monologue of a woman subjected to the rest cure, "I don't know why I should write this. I don't want to be a snob. I don't feel able to. [...] But I must say what I feel and think in some way—it is such a relief!". This embeds the reader directly into the protagonist's psychological experience, illustrating the entrapment and infantilisation imposed by her husband and the broader societal norms. Furthermore, Gilman employs the motif of the wallpaper as a complex symbol of the protagonist's attempts at emancipation through the metaphysical. …show more content…

I don’t like it a bit”, she projects her frustrations and desires for freedom, “I wish John would take me away from here!” This aligns with Gary Scharnhorst's interpretation of the figure trapped within the wallpaper as a “doppelgänger” for the narrator, a mimesis of her confinement within patriarchal roles and challenging the domestic ideals of Victorian femininity. Additionally, the narrator's eventual insanity is not just a capitulation to patriarchal oppression but a form of rebellion. The narrator’s dramatic monologue at the story's climax, "I've got out at last [...] in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!" signifies her mental break as a moment of defiance and liberation from the constraints imposed by her husband and the patriarchal society. Greg Johnson echoes this by suggesting that, "the anger, the boiling rage, of these alter egos that results in eventual triumph over their patriarchal

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