Interpretation of John The Yellow Wallpaper, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an enigmatic read. The story is about a woman, the narrator, who is suffering with depression. John, the husband of the main character, will be the focus of this paper. Gilman wrote John’s character in such a way as to leave interpretation open to the reader. Some may perceive John as a caring, loving husband; treating his wife as men did during the era in which the story was written. John decides that his wife needs to be isolated; free of all responsibilities and stimulation. John’s wife disagrees with the decisions he has forced upon her. She feels “…that congenial work, with excitement and change…” would help her through her depressive state (Gilman 376). The narrator is told what would be best for her, what to …show more content…
She is unable to openly share her thoughts and feeling with anyone. All choices are made for her; relinquished of all responsibilities. This imposed solitude leaves the narrator with absolutely nothing to occupy her time. She begins to manifest her imprisonment through hallucinations in the wallpaper she was forced to surround herself in. Eventually, the narrator believes she sees a woman trapped in the dreaded wallpaper. Companionship was denied, even though it was something the narrator asked for throughout the story. The woman in the wallpaper became a companion as the narrator stated, “…I wasn’t alone, a bit.” referring to her time spent alone in the bedroom (Gilman 385). The wallpaper is perceived as a cage and the act of tearing it down represented the narrator freeing herself. John saw what his wife had done to the wallpaper and questioned her about it. She replied with, “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 387). This statement signifies how torturous John’s choices for his wife must have
Charlotte Gilman’s essay, “The Yellow Wallpaper” describes the relationship between a husband and wife, dealing with the wife’s depression, and how her husband treats her because she is depressed.
Gillman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a story pertaining to, and narrated by, a women suffering from depression after the recent birth of a child. Although the name of the women in the story is never revealed, many believe this is short story is an excerpt from the author's life. Much of the setting of the story takes place in an aging mansion recently inhabited by the narrator and John, the narrator's husband. Due to her affliction and under strict instruction of her husband John, who is also a physician, the narrator is sentenced to bed rest in one of the upper rooms of the house. The walls of the room in which the narrator is forced to occupy, are enveloped with decrepit yellow wallpaper displaying an irksome pattern which, coupled with the ennui of doing nothing, works in a maleficent manner on the mental sanctity of the narrator. The ...
John's fascination with observing his wife can be attributed to a physician's distorted interest in the body. We can certainly speculate that, as physicians at the turn of the century were beginning to explore the female body assisted by "developments" in gynecology, John may have been equally interested in these new techniques of viewing the female body. More so than ever, the patient and her body became subject to the physician's privilege to intimately observe and diagnose her.
This male dominance led the narrator from “The Yellow Wallpaper” into loneliness and eventually to a place of no return. The alienation is shown in terms of the setting, "The most beautiful place! It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village. " The house that the couple rented for three months represents the woman’s physical imprisonment and symbolizes her isolation. Moreover, the nursery that John recommends his wife to live in includes many confining elements.
At the end of the story Jane has it in her mind that there is a woman in this wallpaper. This lady that Jane says that in the wallpaper needs to be set free. Jane begins to tear down the wallpaper, the next day Jennie comes in tearing down this wallpaper and Jane see her and gets mad. Jane provides this evidence by saying “How she betrayed herself that time! But I am here, and no person touches this paper but me,—not alive!”(Dulaney) So Jane then gets the key and locks herself in this room. Jane takes the key and throw it out the window. “I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper
“The Yellow Wallpaper:” a Symbol for Women As the narrator presents a dangerous and startling view into the world of depression, Charlotte Perkins Gilman introduces a completely revitalized way of storytelling using the classic elements of fiction. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” combines a multitude of story elements that cannot be replicated. Her vast use of adjectives and horrifying descriptions of the wallpaper bring together a story that is both frightening and intensely well told. Using the story’s few characters and remote setting, Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents the wallpaper as both a representation of the narrator and the story’s theme, as well as a symbol for her descent into the abyss of insanity. As the story opens, the suspiciously unnamed narrator and her husband, John, temporarily move into a new home (226).
The Yellow Paper is a symbolic story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It is a disheartening tale of a woman struggling to free herself from postpartum depression. This story gives an account of an emotionally and intellectual deteriorated woman who is a wife and a mother who is struggling to break free from her metal prison and find peace. The post-partum depression forced her to look for a neurologist doctor who gives a rest cure. She was supposed to have a strict bed rest. The woman lived in a male dominated society and wanted indictment from it as she had been driven crazy by as a result of the Victorian “rest-cure.” Her husband made sure that she had a strict bed rest by separating her from her child by taking her to recuperate in an isolated country estate. In her prison, she becomes obsessed with the intricate details of the wallpaper in her bedroom wall. She hallucinates that there is a woman that is trapped behind the yellow wallpaper.
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.
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Although the work is short, it is one of the most interesting works in existence. Gilman uses literary techniques very well. The symbolism of The Yellow Wallpaper, can be seen and employed after some thought and make sense immediately. The views and ideals of society are often found in literary works. Whether the author is trying to show the ills of society of merely telling a story, culture is woven onto the words. The relationship between the narrator and her husband would be disagreeable to a modern woman's relationship. Today, most women crave equality with their partner. The reader never learns the name of the narrator, perhaps to give the illusion that she could be any woman. On the very fist page of The Yellow Wall-Paper, Gilman illustrates the male dominated society and relationship. It was customary for men to assume that their gender knew what, when, how, and why to do things. John, the narrator's husband, is a prominent doctor and both his and his wife's words and actions reflect the aforementioned stereotype: "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage," (9). This statement illustrates the blatant sexism of society at the time. John does not believe that his wife is sick, while she is really suffering from post-partum depression. He neglects to listen to his wife in regard to her thoughts, feelings, and health through this thought pattern. According to him, there is not anything wrong with his wife except for temporary nerve issues, which should not be serious.
They both feel trapped within their own lives, emotionally and physically. She saw the woman in the wallpaper as a companion in her days of isolation and self-meditation, and she realized that she needed to break free of her husband’s expectations and live her life her desired way. This gave readers insight to the emotional tendencies of the main character and motivations from discovering the meaning of the intricate wallpaper design. This is achieved when she states, “I’ve got out at last in spite of you and Jane. I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!”
In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator and her husband John, rent out a house for three months. During their stay the narrator explains how she isn’t allowed to work and takes tonics and phosphates to recover from hysteria. The narrator is the main character in the story and goes through several changes throughout the story. The narrator’s mind slowly deteriorates because of her mental condition and the lack of attention she receives from everyone around her.
The Yellow Wallpaper was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1982. The time period it was written in contributes to the overall theme of the short story as it is a socio-political metaphor on the treatment of women during the late 19th century. The main character as well as narrator is a young upper middle class woman who is presumably named Jane (her name is never outwardly mentioned). She is suffering from what today might be diagnosed as some form of depression or other (some sources have speculated that she is suffering from postpartum depression since she has a new child she longs to care for). However, during the time period, women suffering from mental illness were often cast off as hysterical or simply nervous, as her husband,
The Yellow Wallpaper, Written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is comprised as an assortment of journal entries written in first person, by a woman who has been confined to a room by her physician husband who he believes suffers a temporary nervous depression, when she is actually suffering from postpartum depression. He prescribes her a “rest cure”. The woman remains anonymous throughout the story. She becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper that surrounds her in the room, and engages in some outrageous imaginations towards the wallpaper. Gilman’s story depicts women’s struggle of independence and individuality at the rise of feminism, as well as a reflection of her own life and experiences.
The Yellow Wallpaper is a very astonishing story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman that daringly reaches out to explore the mental state of a woman whose mind eventually begins to be broken down to a state of insanity by the appearance of a creeping woman who is trapped behind a revolting yellow wallpaper. This short story takes a look at the causes of the narrator’s insanity by how she was confined in a house alone, trapped with only her mind and a dull wallpaper; while dealing with depression and consuming strong
The “Yellow Wallpaper” takes place in a house in which the main character and her husband are spending their summer vacation. It is a short story of a woman who is suffering from a nervous condition. Her condition results in her having a lack of energy and prevents her from carrying out basic duties that she would be able to if she was not ill. The woman is given the rest cure. She is forbidden from doing any type of work or writing. Her husband, John is a physician and he constantly urges her to rest so that she can overcome her illness. The woman however, does not agree with the rest cure and feels that she must write and work in order to get better. Her illness sets the stage for the multiple types of conflicts that were depicted in the story.