Examples Of Postpartum Depression In The Yellow Wallpaper

In “The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman writes about a woman going through postpartum depression and the realities of what it does to her. She could have written about this particular type of illness because Gilman too went through postpartum depression and had similar feelings that the main character has. This depression not only put a strain on the narrator’s mental health, but also on the relationships she has with her husband and sister-in-law. Throughout the story, the reader gets a firsthand view of how a woman’s mental and physical health can start to unravel while not having any real love and support by those she is surrounded by during this time of need. While on the other hand, she goes through the constant battle of searching

However, the reader must always keep in mind the time at which this piece was written and how these relationships exemplify the realities of personal relationships during this time era. Her relationship with John is dominated by him and is almost like she is the child. Without anyone to speak to about her true feelings and stresses, she writes, another thing she must hide from John and Jennie. The reader feels a sense of fear from the narrator, “there comes John, and I must put this away,—he hates to have me write a word” (Gilman 78). Yet another sign of how he does not want his wife thinking for herself and doing what she pleases. When learning about the author and her background, her feminist side shows in this piece through examples like these. The true dark sides of marriage, the loneliness, and the female role of always being superior are portrayed perfectly in this short

The narrator studies the wallpaper, watching how its colors change from sun up to sun down. It is only a matter of time for her to start seeing images behind its pattern. Once she starts seeing a woman in the walls, her mentality towards everything, even her husband and sister-in-law, starts changing. For example, she now thinks that they are the ones acting different, “he seems very queer sometimes, and even Jennie has an inexplicable look” (Gilman 84). At the end of the story, she finally has a mental breakdown. She fights to get the woman out of the walls, tearing off the paper and all. This woman in the walls seems to resemble the narrator, trapped, alone, and watching everything that goes on. The narrator even notes that she is freed from the walls saying, “I wonder if they all come out of the wallpaper as I did?” (Gilman 88). Freedom is a reoccurring theme throughout this story. It is the narrator trying to have her own mental and physical freedom, but she is held back by John. Finally, her tearing the wallpaper off, trying to catch the woman in it, and feeling the satisfaction is what really frees her in her own way. She no longer hides these thoughts from John. She shows them to him with no problem at all and in fact, is proud to show him. “’I’ve got out at last… in spite of you and Jane. And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!’” (Gilman 89). There are