The Yellow Wallpaper And Denied By Society

Sarah Lorenzo

Mrs. Robilotto

4A English 10 Honors

March 17, 2023

The Yellow Wallpaper and those Denied by Society

“In a sick society, women who have difficulty fitting in are not ill but demonstrating a healthy and positive response.” - Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Women, throughout history, have often been oppressed by various people, prominently men. Gilman’s experiences of being diagnosed as hysterical and being prescribed the “rest cure” labeled her a feminist and a notable gothic writer. The Yellow Wallpaper tells the story of a woman's husband isolating her from society, causing her mental deterioration. The “rest cure” is a strictly enforced regime of six to eight weeks of bed rest and isolation without any creative or intellectual activity

The narrator presents herself as grateful for everything John does for her when she is displeased. The point of view expresses irritability with society and her home life, especially when the narrator talks about her feelings about her isolation and how “she decides” to deal with it. The narrator states, “Of course, I never mention it to them anymore—I am too wise—but I watch it all the same”(Gilman 8). Kathleen Wilson, a Short Story critic of Gilman’s work, argues, “Left with no real means of expression or escape, the narrator represses her anger and frustration and succumbs to insanity,” solidifying Gilman's use of point of view to demonstrate the amount of suffering and continuous emotional impact of being denied even by those who are expected to aid her in her battle with postpartum depression ultimately (Wilson

In several instances, John, a male physician, makes the narrator act and do what he thinks is best, justifying actions due to the patriarchal arrangement between wife and husband at the time. John cares for his wife throughout their unequal marriage but treats her like a “case” and does not allow him to see her as a true person. Gilman in the Yellow Wallpaper utters, “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage” (Gilman 2). Followed by, “He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction. I have a schedule prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more”(Gilman 3). The heartfelt words from the narrator illustrate the concept of being ignored and “babied,” letting everything boil internally until it rises and explodes to the point of no return. If John decided to treat “his patient” on her terms, the narrator would be able to express herself, receive proper care, and share her story and talents of writing with society. Melissa Barth illustrates the comparison between the narrator’s home life and restrictions to an asylum [Asylums in the 1800s were ineffective and contained cruel, illegal treatment and procedures; Unfortunately, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was under the care of Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, in his