“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and was first published in 1892 by the New England Magazine (Mamigonian 539). The story narrated in the first point of view vividly paints a picture of a male chauvinist society of the 19th century creating the theme of feminism, Based on its comprehensive information on the physical health of a woman and the mental attitude. The setting of the story, the setting of the story dates back to the 19th century at the colonial mansion, as quoted by the narrator “Colonial Mansion a hereditary estate.” (Perkins,647).Based on the narrator’s description. The setting of the story is within a serene environment next to a breezing wind of the ocean. The narrator explains the view of the bay and a private wharf belonging to the estate.
The plot of the story, the story describes a young woman whose husband is a physician who imposes a test cure on her after suffering from “temporary nervous depression” after giving birth to her boy child who is taken care of by Mary one of their fried. Through the use of the journal entries, the story uses unreliable narrator in a revelation of the kind of imprisonment the woman is undergoing ( “The yellow wallpaper” and selected stories of Charlotte Perkins Gilman 31). The woman in her narration describes the gauged splintered and scratch floor, barred windows, torn wallpapers, and the metal rings in the walls as she blames the children whom she feels were first residing at their place before their arrivals. Through the wallpaper the woman describes that the wallpaper is missing patches and leaves a yellow smear on the person passing next to it, its disturbing pattern its sickly color and the yellow smell. The narrator is intrigued by the design of the wallpaper as time passes. She sees a woman creeping inside the four corners of the wallpaper. The narrator becomes irritated and strips the remaining paper off the wall. Through the story, the narrator gets help from a woman called Janie, who acts like a homemaker and John, her husband, who works as a physician.
Symbolism, the narrator from her first point of view of narration, manages to use several symbols in the story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” To begin with, the narrator uses the pattern of the wallpaper is seems old ugly and fails to corporate with the artistic rules. The narrator’s use of the design of the wallpaper symbolizes the ugly kind of oppression that women within the society undergo. The narrator suggest that the image of the pattern in the wallpaper does not make sense. The value of women does not make sense, as well. Since the woman within the society are devalued and cannot play the role played by men like John; thus, they are rendered as useless as the pattern of the wallpaper, which makes no meaning.
The color of the wallpaper, the narrator, presents the theme of feminism and how women are oppressed through wallpaper’s color. The color looks old faded and gross, thus a symbol of the ugly nature of the gender roles and the mental depression. The color is old as old and ruined as the role of the women in the society whose characters are faded and by the male chauvinistic nature of the society. Thirdly, part of the physician in the community symbolizes men. The narrator, through the use of John as a character and physicians, draws the creates a picture that only men are obliged to work as the physicians in the society and women’s roles is to take care of the children like Marry takes care of John and the narrator’s child. Through the use of such a symbol, the theme of oppression of the women is depicted. Additionally.
The narrator uses the woman, Jennie, who is the sister to John and whose work is only to take care of the house according to the narrator. The society is much pleased with the role that Jannie plays because Jennie is dedicated to his work of housewife like society need the woman to do. She is referred to as a “Perfect woman” (Perkins, 648). Jennie shows that perfect women in society are those who play their roles of the housewife. Through strictly following the dictates of the cultural norms.
Consequently, there are symbols of woman, creeping, and the moonlight, for instance, the smbols of the woman is symbolically used to present the narrator as the woman quotes that “I wonder if they’ll all come out of that wallpaper as I did” (Perkins 656). The narrator feels that she has broken the chain of the community, which tied her from some of the roles, and she feels sorry for some other women whom she feels will not get out of the bondage to express themselves freely. Creeping depicts a symbol of reiterating to the societal forces by going down to the knee. by the women who creep in “The Yellow wallpaper.” While moonlight is a symbol of darkness showing that the women are still not free to walk during the day time
Irony and Allusion, It is Ironical the narrators love the house at the beginning and feel that the house will be of good use to her. The narrator later gains an increase in her mental illness after she confirmed that her husband confines her to bedroom due to her mental condition and could not let her walk outside her confines. The irony in the case is used to explain the theme of mental depression. The narrator also suggests through quotes that “I am glad mine is not serious” compared to other severe patients in the hospital treated by her husband, who is the physician. Allusion on the other side is used by the narrator in explanation of Mary the character who takes care of John and the narrators’ child. She is compared to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Narration and Motif, the narrative is used through the first person point of view and with the pronounce “I” to relate her theme of the story, including the theme of mental illness and the gender role. Nevertheless, Motif as a style refers to the house where the movement occurs including the woman creeping in the yellow wallpaper and the movement of the narrators while carried from the first flow to the second flow, and the narrator finds things different than she expected in the first place
Characterization and conflict the character present in the story are John, the narrator’s husband, Jennie John’s sister, the narrator, the woman in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper” and Mary, who cares for John’s young boy. All the characters have been used to present the theme of mental illness and gender roles through the book. While conflict arises when the narrator at the first point feels relieved and loving their newly ventured place of dwelling and later realizes that the site is a peace of hell where she is tightly confined into a tight bedroom. The narrator hates the way her husband treats her; a theme of oppression is created in the story. The husband calls her “Blessed little goose” and “little girl” (Perkins, 649)
Which are some of the dehumanizing words
In conclusion, through the narrator’s voice, a story which paints a male chauvinistic society is created. The narrator herself is confined by the forces of her husband John, whose emphasis on the issue of the cure rest for her wife, who is mentally depressed and feels that she should find her relief through writing. The story is, therefore, a real revelation of the happening of the early 9th century and how the cultural forces devalued the gender role of women.
Works Cited
” “The yellow wallpaper” and selected stories of Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” Choice Reviews Online (1994): 31-4794-31-4794.
Mamigonian, Malina. “Review of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wall-Paper”: A Dual-Text Critical Edition. Edited by Shawn St. Jean.” Nineteenth-Century Literature (2007): 539-543.
Stetson, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wall-paper. A Story. The New England Magazine. (1892):647-656