The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Women have never been viewed as equals with men. Since the beginning of time they have been seen as lesser than men. In the mid 1800’s women had, had enough and started the women's right movement. The Leading activists of this movement were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It was not until 1920 that women were given the right to vote. Giving women the right to vote still did not make them viewed on the same level as men. Women continued to fight for reproductive rights, ending discrimination, and equal pay. Women fought daily just to simply be taken seriously by men. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote about her own women’s suffrage experience through, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” She illustrates the lack of empathy and understanding for

The men in her life disregard her mental illness, needs, and do not take her seriously. Her treatment is that she is to do absolutely nothing and especially no reading or writing. She starts to write in a secret journal to free her mind. Even after she expresses her thoughts and concerns about her being locked in a room to her husband, John, he still disregards her. She winds up losing her sanity from isolation. Gilman does an outstanding job highlighting the struggle women were facing with the treatment of their mental health and showing how important it is to receive the correct treatment. “The Yellow Wallpaper,” portrays how women were treated in the 1890s; women had no say to their health care, their children, or any decisions for themselves.

The first thing that has changed drastically for women is their health care. In history, women were not properly served in the medical community. Women experienced always being either dismissed or ignored by medical professionals (Lanser). This is seen in “The Yellow Wallpaper” when the protagonist

In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the woman is suffering from postpartum depression and as it is already known that she did not receive the correct treatment for it (Gilman). She also, though, was not able to be around her child anymore because her husband thought it would be too “taxing” on her fragile mental state (Gilman). Motherhood throughout this story is portrayed as a complex experience that should be controlled by a man. The story also shows that the societal expectations of motherhood can be limiting and harmful, especially for already mentally struggling women (Oakley). “The Yellow Wallpaper,” also shows the importance that women need to make their own decision while navigating motherhood (Raj.K). While Chopin writes from her own experience she is also writing about all of motherhood at this time. Being a mother in the 19th century was seen as a women's main role and job. Women were expected to sacrifice themself and prioritize the wellbeing of their children and husbands above themselves (Raj.K). This would be mentally challenging for anyone. Women who struggled with infertility or chose not to have children were looked down upon. Mothers were idealized by others and viewed as angelic figures during this time. However, this was not how the mother’s felt and motherhood was much more complicated than that. They faced many challenges, especially