Theme Of Mental Illness In The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is set in the 19th century, yet the perception and treatment of mental illness is still very prevalent today. Mental illness is often under reported. and under treated due to the stigma attached to it. The misunderstanding and undereducation of what mental illness entails frequently results in further escalation of the mental disorder. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story written in first person. The narrator, Jane is a 19th century wife suffering from what appears to be Post-Partum Depression. Her husband, John whom is a physician that refuses to accept that something is wrong with his wife and provide her with appropriate treatment. Instead, he moves her, their new baby, and his sister

The protagonist of the story demonstrates how mental illness is often misunderstood. Early views on mental illness was “the product of supernatural forces and demonic possession” (Jutras). In the story, the protagonist states that “John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures”. (Gilman). John, much like many others during his time, and even today have a misunderstanding of what mental illness truly is. Some believe it is a supernatural force, others believe it is a feigned illness that you can easily control with enough will power. John was a physician and therefore, Jane convinced herself that he knew what was best for her, even though her own mind and body were saying otherwise. “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?” (Gilman) In this story, Jane was constantly being told that what she was experiencing is nothing out of the ordinary and that rest was the only treatment needed. This method of treatment is still being used today, and true mental illness is often underdiagnosed. “People often believe inappropriate conversation, hallucinatory behavior, and wandering to be the symptoms of mental

In 19th century societal expectation was a major driving force behind a person’s actions, response, and beliefs to different situations. Appearances were very important, and acceptance of anything out of the ordinary was rare. In today’s word, acceptance of social issues has become much broader, however, mental illness still has a negative persona. The protagonist in the story did not push the issue with her husband further because wives were not supposed to question their spouses in that time period, even though she could feel herself slipping away. John turned a blind eye, most likely because he refused to accept that his wife was not the proper housewife she was expected to be by society’s standards. John said, “I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake, as well as for your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind! There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a temperament like yours. It is a false and foolish fancy.” (Gilman) The stigma that surrounds mental illness often results in those suffering from getting the help that they need. “analyzes of these data have shown that respondents with psychiatric diagnoses were more likely to avoid services if they were unreceptive to treatment or believed that family members and others would have a negative reaction to these services” (Cooper). Jane backed down and just accepted that she would have to