The Woman in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper

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The Yellow Wallpaper
The research paper analyzes the character in The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The woman in the story acts as the narrator of the story, and she gives a vivid description of their house and her obsession with the yellow wallpaper. She suffers from hysterical tendencies therefore her husband, John does not take her seriously when she voices her discontent for the room. The lack of understanding from the husband who also acts as the caretaker might be the main reason for the woman’s breakdown. John believed that by indulging her ideas and fantasies it could have adverse effects on her health thus he would dismiss the ideas. This technique, however, seemed to have a different effect because as opposed to the woman getting better, she felt helpless and the anxiety from missing her child expedites matters. The paper intends to show that John’s dismissive attitude was the last stroll for the woman culminating in her emotional and mental breakdown and “find the reason(s) as to why she held herself together for so long, pleasing her husband and seeming to get better outwardly all the while suffering inside.”
After the birth of their child, the woman starts showing signs of depression and some hysterical tendencies. John believes that her illness is not very serious thus he downplays the symptoms and prescribes the ‘rest cure’ to the woman. This scene showcases the “ female anger and aggression: condition and treatment of women in the society as well as psychological states of women”. John considers the illness temporary thus he takes her to the countryside for a summer retreat, where she was supposed to recover by relaxing and not engaging in any mind tiring activities. The house though is not the paradise someone would associate with a summer vacation as it looked abandoned and made the woman feel uneasy. The bedroom was very large and airy and the windows had bars but the main object of attraction was the yellow wallpaper. The narrator speaks of the yellow wallpaper with sheer disgust and is unsettled by its unclean yellow color and torn edges. The building according to the protagonist’s description was very queer and begs the question of why John thought the place would bring comfort and serenity the woman required to recover fully.
The mental and emotional breakdown started with the house and John’s treatment of the woman. The woman is obsessed with the yellow wallpaper which to her, represents pain and anguish of being in a position where she is physically confined in the house and also helpless with her decisions. The woman and John have different ideas on how to approach the treatment and it is frustrating for her because its John who gets to make the decision. The woman constantly complains to John about the state of the room and her uneasy feelings towards the yellow wallpaper but John is of the belief that if he gives in to her demands and indulges her fantasies, she is going to get worse. The woman is therefore in a state of helplessness and with time her condition starts to deteriorate and she spends most of her days tired and crying. John is not willing to compromise ...