How Does Gilman Use Imagery In The Yellow Wallpaper

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story that deals with the concepts of madness and gender inequality. The narrator in the story is a suppressed woman who is trapped in a small room as part of the treatment of her illness. She is unable to write or take care of her baby as a good and healthy mother can. The narrator, who suffers from a mental illness and resents gender inequality as well as her inability to express herself, is a vehicle through which Gilman criticizes mainstream opinions and closemindedness regarding these issues through the use of symbolism and imagery.

Gilman uses imagery and symbolism when describing the windows and the wallpaper, which help the reader better understand the differences between

The windows are a symbol of the way most people, according to Gilman, view the world. The windows are transparent and therefore they allow people to capture a clear view of the real and physical outside world. They “[command] the road” and overlook “a lovely country (, too,) full of great elms and velvet meadows” (1070). They represent power, confidence, and peacefulness, which are all qualities that a ‘normal’ person should identify with. The wallpaper, on the other hand, symbolizes the approach crazy people, again according to Gilman, have towards life and the tangible world. Unlike the windows, the wallpaper is opaque, “torn off in spots” and “faded” (1070). The narrator is unable to see through the wallpaper, so she makes up her own “sub-pattern[s]” and “formless sort of figure[s]” (1070). Creating those patterns are her way of expressing her thoughts and feelings, and for her, these patterns are just as real as the “lovely shaded winding

John’s sister lives with him and his wife and aids them with their house chores. She is “a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper”, as all women are expected to be “and hopes for no better profession” (1070). She helps John and the narrator with their baby whom the narrator cannot be with because “it makes [her] so nervous” (1068). In addition to being a good maid, John’s sister also “thinks it is the writing which made [the narrator] sick!” (1070). This is important because it proves that unlike the narrator, John’s sister believes in what the male doctors say without questioning them. John’s sister represents the ideal woman, but also a healthy, sane person. The narrator is intimidated by her and she “must not let her find [her] writing” (1070) lest she will be disappointed and will report back to her brother like any good and obedient woman would do. Gilman uses the woman in the window as a symbol of feminine perfection and contrasts between her and the woman in the wallpaper. This comparison contributes to the reader’s understanding of Gilman’s idea regarding gender inequality and it supports her main argument about society’s closemindedness and inability to accept other people’s