The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis

The stories “Shouldn't I Feel Pretty?” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” feature a dynamic protagonist who undergoes a character development which reveals the consequences of oppression caused by societal standards. Gilman crafted the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” with the purpose of exposing the tyrannical role of gender roles to women. In the story, the narrator suffers a slight postpartum depression in the beginning, but her condition gets progressively worse because her husband John believes “that there is nothing the matter with [her] but temporary nervous depression-- a slight hysterical tendency” (331). He concludes that the best treatment for his wife is for her to be “absolutely forbidden to ‘work’ until [she is] well again” (332).

It is clear that in their marriage, her husband makes her decisions on her behalf and she is expected to simply follow blindly. Their relationship parallels the roles that men and women play in marriage when the story was written. The narrator’s feelings of powerlessness and submissive attitudes toward her husband are revealing of the negative effects of gender roles. John’s decision to treat the narrator with rest cure leads to the narrator experiencing an intense feeling of isolation, and this isolation caused her mental decline. Her descent into madness is at its peak when she grows tears the wallpaper and is convinced that “[she’s] got out at last, in spite of [John] and Jennie… and [they] can’t put her back!”

Expecting parents fuss over stocking toy chests with dolls or monster trucks, and filling closets with lacy dresses or corduroy pants months before the arrival of their newborn. They already have predetermined every single aspect of their child, such as interests, self-expression, and actions. These fixed visions are conjured by a simple syllable uttered by the doctor: “Boy” or “Girl”; and each person is expected to fulfill these visions or face opposition. The short stories “Shouldn't I Feel Pretty?” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”, written by Ivan Coyote and Charlotte Perkins Gilman respectively, gives insight as to how these social norms trigger oppression, especially to those who express dissent from them. Ivan Coyote and the narrator from “The Yellow Wallpaper” grapple with these norms and attempt to challenge it. This societal conflict had influenced them to undergo a dramatic change and gain a deeper understanding about the oppressive nature of gender roles. However, even though they both suffer from similar struggles, their endeavors are resolved in different ways while still sharing the same message. By examining the characters and conflict in “Shouldn't I Feel Pretty?” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” with more depth, one can see the way the authors used these elements to highlight the effects of oppression caused by gender roles in