It was interesting to discover that medical professionals, such as Dr. Seymour Fisher, went to extensive means to disprove the ideology that blamed women's lack of sexual pleasure on their psychology. In this way, the lecture fearlessly pinned the blame for women's dissatisfaction on the failure of men to adequately satisfy their partners, a move that seems to border closely on taboo. For, accepting that "frigidity" is a man-made situation dismisses the ridiculous psychological reasons for the "condition" that were pushed by Freud and his gang of worshippers. Even more, it allowed for consideration of the legitimate issues endured by females. For example, there were women who had "deep cuts or tears" in their ligaments but, thanks to Freud, were conditioned to believe that they weren't enjoying sex because of some sort of mental issue.
The insanity is rooted in the narrator's inability to fall easily into that mould. Gilman's descriptions of the wallpaper are really eloquent delineations of the restrictions and constraints placed upon women. In short, the wallpaper is what all proper women are supposed to be; the narrator is one woman who is unable to adapt and, hence, she becomes a lunatic. The narrator's first description of the wallpaper puts forth most plainly what the nature of women is believed to be: "dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they . .
The treatment was offered to the author of this short story and she explains her opinion by publishing “The Yellow Wallpaper” telling the story from the narrator’s point of view, which is a woman trapped within herself resulting from the treatment. This short story had an affect on medical history because of the result she believed would come from the treatment was not a result many doctors would like to see. Women during the nineteenth century were not what they are today in society. Most were looked down upon and not taken seriously. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator is a woman who is viewed as crazy to the public because of how she acts.
Though hysteria became a focal point of study by physicians throughout the world. Symptoms included fainting, vomiting, choking, sobbing, paralysis, and temperamental fits. Reflecting the belief that women were prone to hysteria because they were less rational and stable than men. Dr. Edward Tilt, in a typical Victorian textbook definition, wrote: “mutability is a characteristic of hysteria, because it is characteristic of women” (Showalter, p. 129). As more studies were conducted, however, some doctors began to link hysteria with restricted activity and sexual ... ... middle of paper ... ...ut you.” Her response is “I don’t weigh a bit more.” She proves him wrong and he avoids the response by saying “But now let’s improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk in the morning.” She overlooks his true intentions and focuses back on the wallpaper.
By the end of her story, you realize that nothing this narrator is writing is reliable; because all the people around her notice her mental illness, her stories is as unstable as she is, and eventually she completely looses all grasp on reality. The people surrounding the narrator all seem to agree she is suffering from some form of insanity that manifests itself in delusions, while she never references one character who thinks she is sound. She admits early on her husband John is “John is practical in the extreme[. ]”(Schwiebert 224). This makes him an extremely credible witness to what is going on.
"John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage." It was customary for men to assume that their gender knew what, when, how, and why to live. John, the narrator’s husband, is a prominent doctor, and both he and his wife’s words and actions reflect this stereotype of stature and authority. The aforementioned quote demonstrates the belittling of the narrator by her husband, and his lack of concern for her thoughts and opinion. The narrator’s husband, John, does not believe that she is sick, while she is really suffering from severe depression.
According to O’Connor-Salomon, Charlotte Perkins life was plagued with psychological issues that might have originated before her first marriage (251). O’Connor-Salomon narrates that Weir Mitchell could not conclusively treat Charlotte’s mental illness. Weir Mitchell was a famous shrink recognized for his work in hysteria and mentioned in "The Yellow Wallpaper" as the doctor that her husband threatens to take her to see if her condition did not improve. In the analysis of Charlotte Perkins work and previous writings, O’Connor-Salomon finds out that Charlotte considers herself a man and has no desire for marriage unless she is the one marrying the man. Just like the narrator in the story, Charlotte Perkins marries a doctor and suffers from mental illness.
This traditional idea has made this woman afraid to stand up for herself. At the end of the story, the depression has made this woman become mentally insane and respect is one major theme of this story. Different levels of education in a marriage will give women a lot of pressures. In Gilman’s story, John controls his wife just by being a doctor. “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 [...]” (154).
And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and one’s own When thought about there could be different ways that it was interpreted, but I think that the woman was actually crazy. There is too much textual evidence to deny that the woman was really crazy. The way that Gilman used the wallpaper, such a minuscule item, shows that the woman was indeed crazy and how her obsession with it has nothing to do with the actually wallpaper itself, just the woman.
It also show’s how these assigned roles can trap men and women from progressing. In this short story we have a female narrator and the focus is on her condition, hysteria, and how she slowly but surely losses grips to reality, a psychic suicide, and how her husband John a medical physician is misunderstanding his wife’s condition and the use of his inappropriate treatment of confining her to a room and to rest. John can be thought as being the coherent thinker, while the female narrator can be thought of as a pushover without questioning him. This sets the tone of the story because it shows us who is in control and who is the weaker of the two. We see this in the beginning of the story when she states, “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 792).