Charlotte Perkins: The Story Behind 'The Yellow Wallpaper'

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There are stories that take the reader into a different world, a different perspective from their personal opinion or beliefs; such stories make us feel intrigued of the event described and eventually we become attach to the characters in a manner that wakes our thoughts and feelings to the tragedy we are about to experience. The Yellow Wallpaper had me highly interested by its narrator especially by how Charlotte Perkins, a social activist, was inspired to write it. She had a difficult childhood, experiencing pain and solitude but somehow found comfort in the art field. In despite of this she had long episodes of sadness, unhappiness, and melancholia reason why her husband at that time Charles Stetson, sent her to the care of a doctor. She claimed it was desolation, and kept her captive from her art activities. This real life experience was what inspired her to write The Yellow Wallpaper. In 1900, she remarried to her cousin George Gilman and wrote novels as well as nonfiction works where she inspired woman to be more economically independent; she also established a magazine that was for the used of women and their ideas on women’s issues, which was called The Forerunner (SparkNotes Editors). Unfortunately, Charlotte …show more content…

Although the story does not pictures him quite evil, he believes the treatment is helping her and ignores his wife’s opinion that causes her to hide her feelings. He restricts her actions as part of her “rest cure”, and does not understand his wife any further than superficially by not seeing the pain she is inside. He is ignorant of her truly needs and the unbalanced relationship between them builds up as a wall keeping him from understanding her. He cares for her however his treatment destroys her and he faints in shock of seeing her creeping in the

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