The story revolves around two characters- a physician and his wife
The story revolves around two characters- a physician and his wife, whom he keeps in a colonial mansion. The wife, who is the voice in the story, suffers a postpartum “temporary nervous depression,” a condition that sees her taken to a debilitated upstairs nursery (Smith & Steve, 2015).
A wallpaper depicting a creeping woman holds the attention of the narrator, and she tries to peel it to save her. The husband comes back to the room but faints on getting in. However, the narrator does not escape and instead creeps over him (Smith &Steve).
The story is deeply symbolic. In a male-dominated society, women have been oppressed, and their lives filled with struggles to free themselves. The wallpaper, a representative of the writing document, is a symbol of this struggle. Women have found themselves pitted against domineering male jingoism and are struggling to get an opportunity to write. It is this oppression that the symbolic woman in the wallpaper is fighting against.
Women in male dominated societies are relegated to the peripheries as their male counterparts take center stage. This is exactly what is expected of the narrator. She is expected to sit on the seat of oppression and take all the instructions with a deep respect for her husband. She puts to light the notion that the place of women is only confined to domestic obligations.
The story unearths the issue of feminism. Feminist critics point out that the story aims at reducing male dominance in the medical profession. The narrator, though shackled by oppression, gives insights on how to engage into beneficial activities such as working and exercising. However, she is dismissed as irrational.
The story also highlights the health of the women through postpartum deprhttps://sharksavewriters.com/big-brother-change/ession that the narrator suffers from. Fortunately, the writer who is a doctor treats her.
In conclusion, despite the numerous challenges faced by women, the 21st-century woman has become empowered and is taking the lead in roles that she couldn’t take before.
Reference
Smith, S. (2015). Novel on yellow paper.Virago