The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“The Yellow Wallpaper”, is a short narrative written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and debuted in 1892. It is narrated by a woman who is battling postpartum depression and is being confined by her physician spouse, John, who thinks that the only treatment for her ailment is to rest, in a room with the yellow wallpaper in a colonial estate at an isolated location. The narrator is only permitted to rest and heal; all other activities, including writing and socializing, are strictly prohibited. Jane's mental condition is worsened by being confined to a room with yellow wallpaper because she becomes fascinated by it and starts to notice unsettling patterns in the design. She feels alone and powerless as a repercussion of her husband's denial of

In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, various symbols are used to convey the underlying causes that have worsened Jane’s mental state. A key symbol in the story is the wallpaper and the setting. The narrative emphasizes the negative effects of the rest cure, which is “devised by neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell as a treatment for neurasthenia.”(Science Museum). It is a prevalent therapy for women's mental health problems at the time that frequently required isolating women in their bedrooms and restricting their access to social and intellectual stimulation. Much similar to what Jane’s spouse has told her to do because of her “nervous condition”(Gilman pg 2). He treats her more like a child than a partner and denies Jane the agency and autonomy she deserves as an individual. The yellow wallpaper in Jane’s room is a symbol of her confinement and isolation. The yellow wallpaper covering Jane's bedroom is one symbol that illustrates the fundamental reason for her deteriorating mental state. The bedroom additionally features a bed that is bolted to the floor, bars on the windows, and a massive, hefty bedstead. Her husband expects her to rest and heal, so she is not permitted to leave the room. The

As the narrator's battle with her mental condition, which is made worse by her husband's treatment, is the source of internal strife. Jane is confined in the room because her husband thinks confinement is the best course of action for her. The conflict in the narrative develops as Jane spends more time in the bedroom and feels increasingly alone and confined. She develops an obsession with the room's yellow wallpaper and, as she studies it, she starts to spot patterns and images that appear to mirror her captivity. She faces an internal conflict as she grapples with her mental state and the psychological impact of her incarceration. Her fascination with the wallpaper also serves as a metaphor for her worsening mental state. “I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of a conclusion.”(Gilman, pg.4) Jane's social exclusion and loss of independence are some of the main factors contributing to her mental degeneration. She is kept in a room with barred windows and a locked door and is forbidden from doing anything mentally stimulating like reading or writing. She has to completely relax, according to her husband John, who also happens to be her doctor, in order to recuperate from her temporary “nervous condition."(Gilman, pg 2) She grows more obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room, but this treatment simply makes her illness worse. Jane becomes