The Consequences of Mental Illness Postpartum depression is a form of severe depression after childbirth that interferes with daily functioning and requires treatment. In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman progressively illustrates the consequences of mental illness if it is not treated properly. At the beginning of the story, the narrator acknowledges her condition and has her own thoughts and opinions on how she will return to society in the future. By the middle of the story however, she begins to lose a sense of worth causing her to spend hours dwelling on nothing. Finally, at the end of the story she has completely lost her sense of self and her obsession with the yellow wallpaper overpowers her. Over the course of the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman shows the effects that postpartum depression can have on one’s life.
In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman progressively illustrates how mental illness can lead to insanity if it is not treated properly.
When the narrator and her husband, John, first arrive at their summer home, she knows better than anyone else what is best for her condition but she lets her opinions be completely
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At the beginning of the story, the narrator has a hope of getting better one day and is willing to do whatever is best to return to society. By the middle of the story, the narrator loses all of the responsibility in her life, leaving her to do nothing but dwell during the day. By the end, the narrator becomes overpowered by the thoughts and allusions in her head causing her to descend into a state of madness. Thus, in the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman depicts the potential effects of postpartum depression and emphasizes the need for proper