Oppression and Depression in The Yellow Wallpaper The Yellow Wallpaper As the story begins, the woman -- whose name we never learn -- tells of her depression and how it is dismissed by her husband and brother. "You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression -- a slight hysterical tendency -- what is one to do?" (Gilman 193). These two men -- both doctors -- seem completely unable to admit that there might be more to her condition than than just stress and a slight nervous condition. Even when a summer in the country and weeks of bed-rest don't help, her husband refuses to accept that she may have a real problem. Probably in large part because of her oppression, she continues to decline. "I don't feel as if it was worthwhile to turn my hand over for anything. . ." (Gilman 197). It seems that her husband is oblivious to her declining conditon, since he never admits she has a real problem until the end of the story -- at which time he fainted. John could have obtained council from someone less personally involved in her case, but the only help he seeks was for the house and baby. He obtains a nanny to watch over the children while he was away at work each day: "It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby." (Gilman 195). And he had his sister Jennie take care of the house. "She is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper." (Gilman 196). He does talk of taking her to an expert: "John says if I don't pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall." But she took that as a threat since he was even more domineering than her husband and brother. Not only does he fail to get her help, but by keeping her virtually a prisoner in a room with nauseating wallpaper and very little to occupy her mind, let alone offer any kind of mental stimulation, he almost forces her to dwell on her problem. Prison is supposed to be depressing, and she is pretty close to being a prisoner. Perhaps if she had been allowed to come and go and do as she pleased her depression might have lifted: "I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me." (Gilman 195). It seems that just being able to tell someone how she really felt would have eased her depression, but John won't hear of it. The lack of an outlet caused the depression to worsen: "...I must say what I feel and think in some way -- it is such a relief! But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief." (Gilman 198). Meanwhile her reaction is to seek to prove him wrong. "John is a physician, and perhaps . . . perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster. You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?" (Gilman 193). It seems to me that while putting on an appearance of submission she was frequently rebelling against her husband's orders. She writes when there is nobody around to see her, she tries to move her bed, but always keeps an eye open for someone comming. This is obvious throughout the story. It also seems to me that, probably because of his oppressive behavior, she wants to drive her husband away. I see no reason for this other than to force him to see that he was wrong, and, since she knew he couldn't tolerate hysteria, to drive him away. Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." 1892. The New England Magazine. Reprinted in "Lives & Moments - An Introduction to Short Fiction" by Hans Ostrom. Hold, Orlando, FL 1991.
The conventional course of action to take in the narrator's case was the one of nothing. I mean literally, nothing. For the narrator was considered hysterical and slightly depressed and there was only one course of action for such symptoms. That was one of complete rest. In those days the rest cure was very popular. It involved being set apart from anything that might have even the remotest possibility of stress in it. The main character of The Yellow Wallpaper was indeed set apart from all activity as directed by her husband. John dutifully followed the set path, not questioning any of the accepted methods.
Throughout the text, the reader clearly sees that John has approached the near imprisonment of his wife with very tender and caring words and actions. He always refers to his “little gooses (Charters 228), his darling, and his dear, and he reads her bed time stories. However, the protagonist, as well as the reader, soon begin to see through this act. John may act as if he simply just cares about his wife, and that is why he is putting her through this. But why then does he not listen when she says that she feels worse rather than better? (Charters 232). Because he is not doing it for her at all. He is far more concerned for his career. He is a physician after all, and to have a mentally and physically unstable wife would be tumultuous for his future in that vocation. So he must lock her away in this vacation, away from civilization, so that no one will know. It seems that the protagonist realizes her husbands motives early on, but she is unwilling to believe what she fears is true. She willingly suspends her disbelief of her husband. She says things such as, “Dear John! He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick” (Charters 231). In these statements she is not trying to communicate an idea to a reader, but rather attempting desperately to convince herself of the idea. Ultimately she succeeds, and this leads to her final mental collapse. Her willing suspension of disbelief causes her to
Salinger, J.D. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish.” Nine Stories. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. 3-18. Print.
society. This is also called the gender discrimination which has been followed since the ancient
These characters challenge the stereotypes we typically see and give a new look into the importance of women to the Mexican Revolution. By looking at two example from literature, La Pintada from Los de abajo by Mariano Azuela and Gertrudis from Como Agua para Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, one can see examples of women who are not defined by the presence of men in their lives, along with not fitting into the stereotypes one tends to see when it comes to
The character of the husband, John, in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is introduced as a respected physician and a caring husband who strives to improve the mental health of his wife, the narrator, who is diagnosed with temporary nervous condition. John tries throughout the story to apply professional treatment methods and medications in his approach to helping his wife gain strength. However, his patient, his wife, seems to disregard John’s professional opinions and act as if she is following his advices only during his awakening presence with her. The narrator seems to be in need of John’s positive opinion about the status of her mental condition in order to avoid the criticism even though she disagrees with his treatment methodology. John, without doubt, cares for his wife and her wellbeing, but he does not realize how his treatment method negatively impacts their relationship his wife’s progress towards gaining strength. Although John was portrayed as a caring and a loving physician and husband to the narrator through out most of the story, he was also suggested as being intrusive and directive to a provoking level in the mind of the narrator.
In the beginning of the book Tom’s Aunt Polly is yelling for him to come in and eat, but Tom is nowhere to be seen, for he is just on his way home from the swimming hole where he played hooky from school. Tom sneaks into the kitchen while his Aunts back s turned and has a seat at the table. Aunt Polly had her suspicion that Tom had not gone to school and went swimming instead but he was very quick to come up with an excuse why his hair was still wet. Aunt Polly was very gracious that Tom had told the truth for once until Sid ratted him out and made Aunt Polly notice that his button was threaded with a different color. Toms dishonesty sent him to bed without dinner and was told that he was told white wash the fence for not going to school and lying.
"The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, depicts a woman in isolation, struggling to cope with mental illness, which has been diagnosed by her husband, a physician. Going beyond this surface level, the reader sees the narrator as a developing feminist, struggling with the societal values of the time. As a woman writer in the late nineteenth century, Gilman herself felt the adverse effects of the male-centric society, and consequently, placed many allusions to her own personal struggles as a feminist in her writing. Throughout the story, the narrator undergoes a psychological journey that correlates with the advancement of her mental condition. The restrictions which society places on her as a woman have a worsening effect on her until illness progresses into hysteria. The narrator makes comments and observations that demonstrate her will to overcome the oppression of the male dominant society. The conflict between her views and those of the society can be seen in the way she interacts physically, mentally, and emotionally with the three most prominent aspects of her life: her husband, John, the yellow wallpaper in her room, and her illness, "temporary nervous depression." In the end, her illness becomes a method of coping with the injustices forced upon her as a woman. As the reader delves into the narrative, a progression can be seen from the normality the narrator displays early in the passage, to the insanity she demonstrates near the conclusion.
J.D. Salinger’s short story, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” shows the harmful effects of materialism on society and individuals. Married couple Muriel and Seymour Glass are vacationing in Florida in 1947 while Seymour suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Seymour’s perspective on life his different from Muriel’s perspective because of his time in the military. The story begins with a conversation between Muriel and her mother that shows their shallow nature, which is representative of society. Sybil Carpenter is integral in making Seymour realize the extent to which greed and shallowness pervade their society and how it even affects the most innocent members of society. His realization becomes an overwhelming burden in his mind
There are multiple possible causes for the internal conflict the narrator faces. The first being nervous depression and the other is the fact that her life is being controlled by her husband. Her husband is in full control because in the beginning of the story, John, her husband, influences how she should act. He decides the actions that should be taken in regards to her health and sanctity. Although she finds herself disagreeing with his synopsis, she is confined and does not admit how she feels to him. This also brings about another a major conflict that occurred in the 19th century, men being dominant and woman being categorized as inferior. Evidence can be found when the narrator states, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband assures friends and relatives that there is nothing the matter with o...
Lobbying doesn’t benefit anyone but the big corporations that participate in it. All businesses have the goal to maximize their profits. If there are restrictions or regulations that hinder the opportunity to maximize their profits, then they will try to find a loophole or another way out of their situation. This potentially turns to bribes or other methods to achieve their goal. Distinctly, many of the top corporations in the US have utilized millions in lobbying to save billions in taxes. According to a 2010 study by the Daylight Foundation, which compared tax data to the relationship of increases in lobbying to the decreases in real taxes paid for corporations (Sager, 2012). Between 2...
Smith, Susan Bennett. "Reinventing Grief Work: Virginia Woolf's Feminist Representations of Mourning in Mrs. Dalloway and To The Lighthouse" Twentieth Century Literature Vol 41 Iss 4 (1995): 310-327
Gilman, C. (1998). Women and Economics: A Study of the Economic Relation Between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Irvine, D. 2012. 4 Good Reasons Why Culture Is More Important Than Strategy. [online] Available at: http://www.tlnt.com/2012/01/16/4-reasons-why-culture-is-more-important-than-strategy/
The narrator has no way of expressing her emotions which makes her more unstable and sinks deeper into her problems. From the time after she had her baby and up until her husband finds that she has gone insane, the narrator has focused on the wallpaper in the bedroom. (enotes.com) the narrator says on page 242 section eight ” Sometimes I think there are a great many woman behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over. Then in very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard”. This signifies that she has a mental disorder and is not in the right state of mind but I think that if John would have treated her like a wife instead of a patient then she would have gotten better, although I don’t think many people knew about mental illness back then and so they wouldn’t know how to treat them and some people just thought they were