The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story, The Yellow Wallpaper (TYWP), the subordination of women comes in many forms. From his treatments to ideas to actions, the character John is the main form of this discrimination. TYWP is the story of Jane, a new mother suffering from post-partum depression, and John her physician husband who prescribes the rest cure to Jane to heal her. The rest cure was invented in the nineteenth century by Neurologist, Silas Weir Mitchell. It was prescribed to overly active and social women suffering from neuroses. The rest cure consisted of six to eight weeks of forced bed rest, isolation, and overfeeding with no creative or intellectual thinking or activities (Science Museum UK, 2019). Despite the name, the Rest

When Jane first undergoes the rest cure, she knows isolation is not the best care plan for her however, John makes her feel bad for thinking about her condition or wishes (Gilman p. 648). This makes Jane feel sorry for thinking about her health. Jane despises the wallpaper in her room, and as the story progresses, Jane's fixation on the wallpaper becomes dangerous. Wishing to end the treatment early, Jane expresses her feelings, “I [am] not gaining anything here, I [wish] he would take me away.” (Gilman p. 652) John uses his privilege as a physician to make jane feel bad about standing up for herself, “It is a false and foolish fancy. Can you not trust me as a physician when I tell you so?” (Gilman p.652). Jane also feels bad for not appreciating John’s care she says, “He takes care of me, and so I basely feel ungrateful [to not] value it more.” (Gilman p. 648). As result, Jane stops requesting things and slowly stops sharing information with John. Jane explains that she gets angry with John, but is quick to blame her feelings on her illness as she feels bad because he is taking care of her (Gilman p. 648). John's toll on Jane makes her feel guilty about being sick; she judges and blames herself for her

For example, At the beginning, John does not believe Jane is sick. He thinks Jane’s illness is all in her head and she has no reason to suffer (Gilman p. 647, 648). This promotes John to prescribe an improper treatment, the rest cure. Jane disagrees with the idea of the rest cure. She believes that having excitement and spending time with people and her baby is the best medicine she says, “I disagree with [his idea]. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good.” (Gilman p. 648). John’s actions show that Jane’s needs and health are not in his best interests. When Jane first enters her room, she wishes she had a different one. Jane desires the room downstairs that opens on the piazza and has roses on the window (Gilman p.648). Jane never tells John what she needs because she knows he will ignore her, displaying how John is not interested in any of his wife's needs. As a result, she is given a room on the fifth floor with one bed, one window, and repelling unclean yellow wallpaper (Gilman p. 649). Jane goes on and on about the disgusting wallpaper in the story; it bothers her. When she asks John to replace it, he laughs and tells her that she was letting the paper get to her and, “Nothing [is] worse for a nervous patient than to give away such fancies.” He says, “You know this place is doing you good […] and really […] I don’t care to