Nick Carraway, Huckleberry Fin, and Scout Finch, some of literature's most famous narrators, are all to be considered unreliable narrators. Their innocence and different way of perceiving events all bring a new aspect to the telling of their stories. Like these narrators, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper can also be considered an unreliable narrator. While there are many factors that contribute to her being an unreliable narrator, the most notable are the compromised point of view that is present in the story, the deterioration of her mental state, and any possible biases she may have had. To begin, one aspect that makes this narrator unreliable is that the story is told completely from her point of view. It is …show more content…
Many of the biases present in the story are due to the narrator's feelings towards other characters, especially John. Often, when the protagonist speaks about her husband, her opinions tend to be rather biased: “It is so hard to talk with John about my case, because he is so wise, and because he loves me so” (Perkins Gilman, 603). It is obvious the protagonist loves her husband, which is a clear reason to be biased towards him and follow what he says, however, that love may be altering her perception towards him. Is he really that wise and does he really love her so? Throughout the story, John often dismisses her opinions and carries on with what he feels is the right treatment for her. This may cause the reader to wonder if he really values her opinion on her condition. As well, her possible bias towards John may also cause her to view his professional opinion to be more credible than it really is. “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?” (Perkins Gilman, 597). The narrator seems to follow along with what her husband has said, but perhaps his diagnosis could have been wrong. The protagonist simply doesn't feel the need to follow up because of her love for John. She seems to follow him blindly into this without gaining information from other sources as well. Over all, it is clear to see that her love for John has caused her to feel biased towards his opinions on her condition and is causing her to view him quite highly when, perhaps, he shouldn't be viewed in such a