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Understanding Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

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Understanding “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins’ Gillman Why does “The Yellow Wallpaper” make such a strong impact and realization about how different postpartum depression was thought about in the past? The Yellow Wallpaper can make a huge impact on someone reading it that is not aware of how different society was in that time period and can really open their eyes to it. The view of depression in women in the late 1800’s was much different than we know it today. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” this is obvious and shows that that story could be seen in a number of families not just the one in the story. The struggles by the lady in this short story really can make an impact of today’s civilization and really put in prospective the differences …show more content…

During this time period all major social roles, including doctors, were held by men and little was known about depression in women. Hysteria disorder, temporary nervous depression, or postpartum depression as we know it now, was where a women would go into a depressive time after the birth of a child. Often the treatment for this disorder was to be cut off from the world and be put in an environment where there was no burden and she could rest with little to no physical or mental stimulation, this was known as the rest cure that Dr. S. Weir Mitchell developed. “During the first week, the patient was not allowed to sit up or feed themselves. They were not allowed to sew, read, or write. A nurse took care of their needs and provided gentle massage for their muscles. Their food was a simple diet and did not include any of the potent medicines (often stimulants or narcotics) that were common at the time.” (Nespor, 2014) After the first few weeks normal activities were gradually introduced. The author of “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Gilman Perkins was actually a patient of this doctor and went through this treatment herself in 1887. With this information we can truly start to understand the story “The Yellow

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This was the case because society understood then that the “physician is the quintessential man” whose words “[represent] institutional authority” and must “reflect reality” (Ford 2). As such, when the doctors enforced ideas like women’s hysterical nature and attributed their mental illnesses to these biases, many women like Jane went undiagnosed and were put under treatments that only intensified their illnesses. In terms of mental health, reality and forms of treatment were determined by the men who continued to play into the oppression of women. In all, with the emotional first-person point of view and characterization of dominant figures, Gilman illustrates how women’s mental disorders were overlooked and the overall structure of how mental health was influenced by those with power. In conclusion, Charlotte Perkins Gilman has put on display both the complex gender discrimination and the unique struggles women faced with mental health stigmas throughout the end of the 1800s and early

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In the beginning of The Yellow Wall-Paper the narrator see’s that her husband believes she is hysterical for a term; whereas, she believed there was something wrong (Gilman 486). The narrator sees rest as her last concern, she wants to be able to work and write so she ends up doing so in secret (Gilman 487). With each segment, she grows

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Women were seen as mentally fragile and hysterical, with treatments such as “rest-cures” existing as a means of not “upsetting” the female patient. This sentiment can be seen throughout the story, from the narrator’s diagnosis to the treatment she receives as a result. For instance, the narrator was not properly diagnosed with postpartum depression, but rather what her brother and husband describe as “ temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency"(The Project Gutenberg eBook of the Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman). Despite saying that she is sick, her brother and husband quickly dismiss her concerns and tell her friends and family she is healthy.

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Gilman was diagnosed with a nervous condition, which we now call “Postpartum Depression”: Postpartum depression is a serious mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth. Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care for themselves or others. Postpartum depression can be treated in many different ways such as, Counseling, taking medications. Doctor’s main recommendation for treating postpartum depression, is daily outdoor activities to stimulate the mind. (National Institute of Mental Health 2)

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The Yellow Wallpaper and Postpartum Depression What is postpartum depression one would ask from the 1800’s? It wasn’t until the late 1850s when medical professionals first recognized postpartum depression as a disorder. “Postpartum depression isn't a character flaw or a weakness. Sometimes it's simply a complication of giving birth” ("Postpartum Depression - Mayo Clinic").

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During this era women were looked at as stay at home mothers. If a women had a husband back then, the husband was the one expected to work in the family while the mother stays at home cooking and cleaning. ” Postpartum depression is a transient state of heightened emotional reactivity the occurs in about 50% of women who have recently given birth”(Miller). Some women after having a child get labeled by their husbands or by society mentally handicapped. Most women were diagnosed with postpartum depression.

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The color yellow is for many associated with strangeness, cowardice, inferiority, ugliness, and

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The Struggle of Many Women The story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, reflects the life of many women during the difficult times they were living in. The narrator can relate to many people during the Victorian age where the woman’s role was to be a wife and a mother only. The narrator is a woman who is imaginative and is dissociated from herself and from the world.

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During this time period however, these mental health conditions had not been studied in depth yet. Doctors did not know how to deal with such conditions and most did not even identify this behavior as a disease. Very little was known about mental health and how to treat mental health conditions, so the woman’s husband did what many would do in such a situation that they did not understand. He isolated her from what she knew and was used to in hopes of her recovery. It is easy to see however, that isolation led to her

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The Yellow Wallpaper is a classic piece of feminist literature, written and published by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in January 1892. The story follows the female narrator as she faces postpartum depression, isolation, and patriarchal restraints. The protagonists display hysteria stemming from the central problem of postpartum depression, as a result of this she suffers from isolation and delusion. Without a doubt, the story deeply reflects society as a whole and is an essential read for all people in Congress due to its deeply personal message and its use of setting to convey and express concern about an issue. Women rights activists and people who stand in a position of power in Congress need to take a stance on women’s bodily autonomy before

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“The Yellow Wallpaper” Literary Analysis The “Yellow Wallpaper” is a iconic short story written by Charlotte Perkins, a famous feminist author. The novel takes place the 19th century and deals with the issue of how women dealt with mental health issues, specifically postpartum depression. Back in the 19th century the way physicians dealt with women 's mental health was much different then it is today, back then they believed that the cure for depression was solvable by isolation and rest. As a result many women suffering from postpartum depression were forced into isolation which only made their situation worse. Jane; the narrator of the short story, is one of these woman forced into the rest treatment by her physician husband.

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In the short story “the Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator, Jane who has just given birth becomes progressively more ill and depressed. Her husband John, who is a physician prescribes that she get lots of rest and fresh air so Jane and John rent a colonial mansion for the summer. Throughout the story John is one of the main causes for Jane’s deepening depression.

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The story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a story about a woman who is diagnosed with a nervous disorder and the actual treatment for this, is considered her downfall. Her husband as well was a very well respected physician, but even he

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The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story told through diary entries of a woman who suffers from postpartum depression. The narrator, whose name is never mentioned, becomes obsessed with the ugly yellow wallpaper in the summer home her husband rented for them. While at the home the Narrator studies the wallpaper and starts to believe there is a woman in the wallpaper. Her obsession with the wallpaper slowly makes her mental state deteriorate. Throughout The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses many literary devices such as symbolism, personification and imagery to help convey her message and get it across to the reader.

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Depression and isolation caused by the misdiagnosis caused Jane to go insane. The rest treatment was a common form of cure for people with depression. It worked for some people while it did not work for some. Instead of curing the depression, it only sends the patients into further depression and isolation.

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