The Yellow Wallpaper: The Process Of Going Insane

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The Process of Going Insane The Yellow Wallpaper is a tragedy about a young woman, the narrator, who developed postpartum depression after having her first child. The narrator’s husband, John a medical doctor, rents a colonial mansion in a secluded area for the summer. John rented the mansion so his wife could have peace and quiet to recover from her nervous illness. This mansion is the beginning of the narrator’s slow descent into insanity. The Yellow Wallpaper describes the narrator’s emotions and grievances in great detail, making it the perfect description of the process of going mad.
Postpartum depression is a disease that was not recognized as an illness in 1892, but postpartum depression plagued many mothers during this time period. In 1892, because they did not recognize postpartum as an illness, the only cure they believed in was the rest cure. Doctors now believe that having hobbies, and keeping your mind off your depression helps to cure depression. “Interests and activities are very important in mental health, contributing to self-esteem and happiness. They give satisfaction, help make you feel good about yourself, and keep your mind off problems and negative thoughts and emotions,” (cbtrecovery.org). In the …show more content…

While the narrator is trapped in the room she talks about the yellow wallpaper being one of her grievances of the room because it is ugly and tattered. As the story goes on and the narrator slowly starts to lose her sanity and she becomes completely obsessed with the yellow wallpaper. Over time the narrator starts to see a woman creeping behind the wallpaper and outside. The narrator tried to convince John to remove the wallpaper because of the impact the wallpaper was starting to have on her mind, but John just ignored her because of women’s standing in society during that time

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