How Does The Yellow Wallpaper Reveal About A Woman's Gradual Descent Into Insanity

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story about a woman’s gradual descent into insanity, after the birth of her child. The story was written in 1892 after the author herself suffered from a nervous breakdown, soon after the birth of her daughter in 1885. Gilman did spend a month in a sanitarium with the urging of her physician husband. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a story about herself, during the timeframe of when Gilman was in the asylum. While on vacation for the summer, the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" is, at the most, depressed at the beginning of their visit to a colonial mansion. Her husband John, however, thinks there is nothing wrong with her except temporary nervous depression (pg 391) and has her confined

“It is getting to be a great effort for me to think straight. Just this nervous weakness I suppose.” (pg 396) Because she is not allowed to do anything – she cannot even visit with family – she has nothing to do but stare at the walls and make pictures out of it. Her imagination took over and created a story out of the wallpaper. The light at night made the images real and moving, but at times that made her frightened. She knew it was just the wallpaper, yet it seemed so real. When she tells John about what she saw and suggests leaving, he tells her how she’s improving. She knows she’s getting worse there, however, and points out how nothing has changed. At this point John hugs her and says, “Bless her little heart! She shall be as sick as she pleases!” (pg 397) He believes she is only imagining this sickness and that she truly is well. At the end of the story she has gone completely mad and is crawling on the floor. She ends up thinking it was she herself behind the

I also didn’t think about the time it was written. But after reading my classmates’ insight on the story, and researching the story a bit online, I went back and re-read it and understand that it is rather confusing as to where her location is. Is she truly on a vacation? Or is she actually in an asylum? It was suggested that she has postpartum depression, and after reading this story several times I do see that very well could be her illness. She had recently had a baby. “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby!” (pg 393) When this story was written, postpartum depression was not heard of. Symptoms of PPD include a sad mood, sleep disturbance, loss of energy, thoughts of death or suicide, and feelings of rejection. The narrator experienced all of