Summary:
Charlotte Gilman beautifully portrays a very complex character in "The Yellow Wallpaper." She suffers from post-partum depression and is taken to "colonial mansion" by her husband, John, to recover, but instead she heads down the road of insanity.
Narrator: The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Gilman beautifully portrays a very complex character in "The Yellow Wallpaper." She suffers from post-partum depression and is taken to "colonial mansion" (450) by her husband, John, to recover, but instead she heads down the road of insanity. In the beginning the narrator is a very emotionally imaginative woman who choices to express herself through her secret journal. She is under the care of her husband, who is a doctor, and part of her cure is to turn her imagination off. She is told to lie in bed and that sleep is very good for her. From the very beginning she is driven to please John, but during her treatment she rebels. Through her growing imagination she takes the neutral objects in her room, and she produces frustration that leads to fascination. The narrator is first viewed as a happy woman, who understands the love in between her husband and her, but the fascination she acquires drives her to be looked upon as paranoid and psychotic.
The narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a round and dynamic character, and her main struggle is internal. In the beginning she reveals her ability to understand John's actions. "Dear John! He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick" (455).
She is forced to live in a previous nursery. In this new bedroom, the bed is nailed to the floor, the windows are barred, and the walls are covered in yellow wallpaper that she describes as:
One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin. It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide - plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard contradictions. (451)
In this isolation she begins to hallucinate and she envisions a woman trapped behind the wallpaper. "There is a recurrent spot where the paper lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down" (453). This is where we first see her sanity going down hill. Through out the story her mind runs wild. She focuses more and more on the room's attributes and this contributes to her failing mental health. She is obviously depressed because of the isolation and has to find a way to entertain herself. This simple observation manifests.
At the end of the story she locks herself in the nursery room and tears all the yellow wallpaper off the walls. She believes she is freeing a trapped woman. Her husband has to break down the door just to get to her. As he lies his eyes upon her, he passes out, and she "creep over him" (461). I believe she was overcome with too many emotions and that was the explanation for her actions. Her true insanity and feelings shine through out the whole story, but I receive the most understanding through the last paragraphs.
The narrator has gone from one of the average, upset, new mothers to a crazy, psychotic, women whose inner thoughts manifest and take control of her body and actions. She has grown in the sense that she is a more complex character. The narrator isn't easily understood towards the end. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a story that needs to be read more than once to really absorb and understand its complexity.
In the beginning of the story she is controlled by her husband. She leaves behind the negative attribute of obeying and not following her true feelings. At the end of the story her personal will shines through, and in a twisted way she grew. In her last words she reveals what I believe to be her name. Within the last pages she is talking to her husband. "'I've got out at last,' said I, 'in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!' (461). She struggles with John and herself; that is who I believe is "you and Jane" (461). Intriguing and complex characters define this story. She, Jane defines this story.
Humans are a very complex creature. I believe I have been given the psychological power to read, interpret, and understand the average person. Although John was a doctor, he lacked common knowledge, as does most of the race. One must acquire much knowledge needed in life to survive and be successful. By watching the changes, the causes and effects can be learned from.
This is the complete article, containing 748 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
