The Yellow Wallpaper Husband Essay

The role of the husband in Marriage in “The Yellow Wallpaper”
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story of a women who is suffering from a disease whose symptoms are closely related to postpartum depression. The narrator’s husband, John, moves himself, his wife, their newborn daughter, and their nanny to what she describes as “a colonial mansion, a hereditary estate” for the summer. John wanted his wife to be secluded, so she could rest and get better even though he believes she is just suffering from “temporary nervous depression.” The narrator states “I have a scheduled prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more.”(247) John’s career as a physician however prevents him from being at home with her during the day. He doesn’t allow her to go anywhere, and strongly encourages her to stay upstairs in bed all day to

Throughout the story, the narrator disagrees with some of her husband’s orders, but obeys them anyway. Instead of listening to his wife, John was caught up in what he believed was the right thing to do. By making her rest all day and forbidding her to work he caused her illness to progressively get worse. In the end of the story when the narrator destroys the wallpaper releasing the lady trapped behind it, she herself feels free. When John comes into the room and sees his wife crawling on all fours across the floor, he faints. His fainting was a symbol of his loss of control over his wife. If he would have valued his wives wishes of traveling, getting out of the house, and openly writing, her disease may not have reached this point, and she might’ve gotten better sooner. The control John had over his wife, even though he was doing what he believed was right caused her to lose herself and the sight of