Essay On The Narrator In The Yellow Wallpaper

The narrator in the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” clearly changes throughout. The case can be made that the narrator has changed for the better in a certain way. During the initial description of herself, the narrator points out a few things that give the reader a feeling of oppression and depression. She portrays the feelings of oppression and oppression by stating that her husband does not believe she is sick. “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?..and am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again. Personally, I disagree with their ideas” (238).

The expectations of a woman during this time period were to take care of the house while the husband works, learns, and does everything outside of taking care of the family and home care. This would give the narrator and a majority of woman the feeling of oppression and depression. The change in the narrator comes when she notices and becomes intrigued with the “Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator notices a pattern in the wallpaper and pictures a woman trapped behind the wallpaper who is attempting to escape. She fights the realization that the predicament of the woman in the wallpaper is a symbolic version of her own situation. At first she even disapproves of the woman’s efforts to escape and intends to “tie her up.” Further into the story she feels compelled to tear down the wallpaper to free the trapped woman. Most importantly, noticing the relation to the trapped woman in the wallpaper, she tears the wallpaper down and says, “I’ve got out at last, in spite of you Jane. And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back” (251). In turn freeing herself from the oppression and depression that she has felt throughout the story and most of her