The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Mental illness is an issue that has always been apparent in the world. The “Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Gilman is a story that shows the declining mental health of a young woman. Jane, whom the story follows, is suffering from postpartum depression; her husband John exhibits very controlling behavior that is seen many times. He looks down on her and is very rude to her; as if she was nothing but an object to him. The theme emerges from the dialogue, setting, and plot symbolism. The dialogue of the story is the first way the theme emerges. After Jane has her baby, she is diagnosed with postpartum depression, but her husband thinks she is not suffering from anything. This idea is first alluded to when Jane states: “John is a physician,

In The Yellow Wallpaper, the setting is vital to the story because the themes of gender and isolation/entrapment would not be able to be fully developed without taking place in its specific environment in the late 19th century. One of the major themes in The Yellow Wallpaper is gender and the control men had over women in the 19th century. Jane reinforces this point by stating, “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?” (303). This quote shows how she claims that she has a problem but her husband thinks otherwise therefore he thinks her claim is valid and she is not. This quote shows what a lot of women also went through during these times in America. The story starts with the narrator describing the mansion they are moving into while their home is being remodeled. The narrator describes the house that she is living in as “quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village”.(302). Right away the reader is under the impression that they live separate from everyone else which foreshadows events that come into play later on. Her staying at this house is forced by her husband who thinks she is content and fine. The yellow wallpaper represents the

During the time period, female isolation was a big thing, and the author incorporated that into the story when they moved into a house in the middle of nowhere. The house they move into is; “quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village.”(302). This foreshadows how not only is the house going to be in the middle of nowhere, but she will be separated from everything as well. Her not being able to socialize with the outside world is what causes her hallucinations. In her room, she does not have much, but the bed she does have is nailed down. Jane says; “I lie here on this great immovable bed—it is nailed down, I believe—and follow that pattern about by the hour.”(306). The bed being stuck symbolizes how she will remain a victim until she is set free of her room. Jane at the time did not think much of it until she became a victim. John and Jane's marital communication is lacking throughout and it helps us understand why they have driven so far apart. Jane makes this remark towards John; “John knows I don’t sleep very well at night, for all I’m so quiet! He asked me all sorts of questions, too, and pretended to be very loving and kind. As if I couldn’t see through him!”(311). As the narrator’s mental decline deepens, she no longer speaks of John as her loving husband. She sees his concern for her health as false. This paranoia reflects her