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Mental Illness In The Yellow Wallpaper

1553 Words7 Pages

Gilman received much backlash for her short story by many men publishers and critics. The topic of mental illness and the effects of these illnesses if not treated properly are disturbing, and men did not want to accept the truth. Mentioned in Queering The Yellow Wallpaper? Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Politics of Form, “The literary merit of Gilman's story was recognized by contemporary (male) readers and even by (male) publishers who nevertheless rejected it on account of its disturbing content.” This “disturbing content” is indeed disturbing, which is the reason Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Gilman wanted to reveal the truth to make an impact and change in the future treatment of mental illnesses through the publication of her story. …show more content…

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is known as a feminist document written for social reform. The heroine’s relationship with her husband is perceived as a typical marital relationship of the nineteenth-century where the husband is the dominant one in the relationship. Within the first page of Gilman’s short story, the heroine explains that her husband does not believe she is mentally ill. “You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? 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? (Kennedy, 305). The repetitive phrase, “What can one do?” is the heroine expressing her limitations in her relationship with her husband. Women in the 19th century depended on their husbands in their marriage. Their husband provides money and shelter. Since the heroine’s husband refuses to believe in her illness there is not much she can do; she has no place to go and no

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