Yellow Wallpaper Reflection

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In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” mental and physical lockdown that the main character endures drives her to insanity. Her husband and others made her believe she was mentally ill an isolated her to the point where it actually did make her mentally ill. A theme of the story is that the misdiagnosis of physiological problems and illnesses and incorrect treatment can be worse than the original problem. Doctors, her husband, and family diagnosed her with hysteria and depression and her treatment was to rest and stay isolated without any daily activities or anything enjoyable. In the story the narrator states that, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with …show more content…

Although his has never happened to me and I have never had any mental illness or altered states of normal. I do have past experience that can relate to this situation. I had something happen in my family that was heart breaking to my whole family. I was there to witness and it in turn caused mild trauma. The trauma caused anxiety, stress, and depression. Although all these symptoms were mild it was hard for me to deal with. Everyone around me including my family, friends, and boyfriend just brushed it off and said it was just emotions resulting from the family member’s health at the time. The trauma actually had a bigger impact on me than just emotions. Because everyone had brushed it off, I never spoke to anyone and it eventually got worse. By my family member being sick and in the hospital I was home alone. Some nights were hard because my paranoia got the best of me and I did not know if some things were real or not. I even thought my family member was still at home I swear I would hear or see her. Like the main character isolation and family misconception of a sickness caused my perception of reality to get a little

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