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The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman
Notes on the Novella
In the 19th century, when the text was set, women in American society were regarded as highly susceptible to instances of mental illness, especially after giving birth. As a result, the physicians recommended the much “rest cure” that entailed women getting confined in rooms, resting, getting detached from their young children, and prohibited from engaging in activities that could worsen the situation (Gilman, 265). Flouting the female conventions as prescribed by the doctor was a recipe for heightening the susceptibility of mental illness that was allegedly characterized by women who have given birth. The story acts as Charlotte’s autobiography to some extent since the writer was motivated to write the story from the experience she got after giving birth to her daughter. The postnatal depression she experienced prompted her to seek medical intervention from Dr. Mitchel, who prescribed the rest cure therapy. According to Gilman, such a prescription drove her to a “mental agony” since she was to remain secluded in her room and never engage in any intellectual activity (265). Thus the story perfectly reflects the ordeals that Charlotte had to experience in the wake of her fight to regain her sanity after the birth of her daughter.
In the story, the notable characters include the narrator, John, and Jeanie. John, the husband, is depicted as caring, protective, and dismissive of the experiences of the narrator. On the other hand, Jeanie, John’s sister, is portrayed as caring and watchful, but her experience immensely relates to the narrator. Interestingly, the main character in the story is Charlotte, who narrates the story from the first-person narrative voice. Such type of narration does not make the story biographical but also allows the readers to understand the ordeals of women during this period from the mouth of the victim. On the other hand, the central theme of the story is mental health among females. To highlight this theme, Charlotte creatively uses the intriguing patterns in the wallpaper to demonstrate how the complex patriarchal prescriptions of the so-called rest cure did precisely the opposite and often plunged women into more extreme mental issues. Subsequently, it raises the question: does the rest cure therapy as impactful to women as touted or it is another mechanism by the patriarchy to continue suppressing women by prescribing the so-called women female conventions?
The plot of the Story
The story is set in the rural set up in the US where the husband of the narrator, John, moved her to continue with her rest cure therapy due to her “temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency” (Charlotte, 3). However, such development would mean that Charlotte is separated from her child and under the elaborate prescription of phosphates and phosphides and never touch a book but merely concentrate on rest, getting fresh air and doing exercise. As days pass, the narrator starts developing interests in a yellow wallpaper that she describes as “repellant, smoldering unclean yellow with sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin” (Charlotte, 7). The interests grow immensely as the pattern shows a creeping woman and “creepy figures shaking the pattern” (Charlotte, 14). The smell of the wallpaper also worries her, and when she discusses her experience, the husband, as usual, summarily dismisses her. However, in the last day of her stay in the haunted house, she throws away the key, creeps all over the room and when joined entered the room and subsequently faint from the shock of her creeping behavior, she goes ahead and creeps on him too for long (Charlotte, 32). She tells John that he will never hold her in the pattern again and that she is now free, leaving the audience to wonder if she has gone wholly mad or the act symbolizes freedom.
Brainstorming
| The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman | |
| When was it written? The story was written towards the end of the 19th century in the US. | What time period does the story take place in? During the period when the story was written, women bore the yoke of patriarchal ideologies, and several medical studies placed them at the risk of mental illness; hence the rest cure therapy was dominant. |
| Who is the main character? Charlotte Perkins | What themes are present in the story? The mental health of women, patriarchal dominance, suppression of women in the society on medical grounds. |
| What literary devices are used? Symbolism, epistles, and dialogue. | What symbols are present in the story? The patterns in the Yellow Wallpaper symbolizes the complex society where women are entangled. The creepy acts of Charlotte could have been used to illustrate freedom at last of highlight the insanity attributed to the rest cure. |
| Brainstorm a list of questions: Was the rest cure a prescription or another mechanism for patriarchal dominance? Does it reduce the likelihood of mental illness or exacerbate it? In what ways does the story highlight how men perceived women as inferior? | Are you going to use any activities in your lesson? Group discussions would be vital in finding answers to the questions. |
| What information does the reader need to know before reading your short story? The reader needs to understand the background of the author before embarking on the reading of the story as it could make no sense when one has no such knowledge. | Why did you choose this short story? What do you like about it? The story highlights the struggles of women in achieving social justice and their gains, which is relevant to contemporary society in various ways. |
| Plan Order for the Lesson: The Lesson would first examine the background of the author, engage in the reading the text and subsequently highlight the critical aspects in the text, such as the themes, characterization, and other the existing questions about the text. | |
| What material do you need for your lesson? The lesson would be better delivered through slides. | |
Works Cited
Charlotte, Gilman Perkins. The yellow wallpaper. Project Gutenberg. (1999): 3-49.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “Why I wrote The Yellow Wallpaper?.” Advances in psychiatric treatment 17.4 (2011): 265-265.