Katie Stephens English 1102 Dr. Strickland 9:30 TR Symbolism, Irony, and Theme in “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” tells the story of a husband's attempt to do away with his wife's insanity by keeping her isolated and restrained from expressing herself through writing. Gilman includes an abundance of irony and symbolism to describe the thoughts and actions of the narrator. The author uses these elements to help the reader come to the conclusion that the narrator feels oppressed and controlled along with other women who were felt to be “confined to womanly roles” in society in the 1800s. The theme of the story suggests that women during this time were imprisoned by the male dominated society. There are many uses of irony in “The Yellow Wallpaper.”.
The wallpaper is used characterically to reflect the marriage the narrator finds herself ambushed inside. At the start of the short story, the wallpaper is merely seen as an aberrant bore, but as the narrative progresses, the wallpaper becomes much more baleful and frightening. As a site of symbolism, the symbol has three functions in Charlotte Perkins Gilman s ’, “The Yellow Wallpaper”: it reveals the wallpaper including the imagery, imprisonment and symbolism. The imagery of the wallpaper in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” transitions as the short story is developed in order to emulate the increasing realization of the monopoly the narrator’s marriage has upon herself. The very first descriptions illustrate her initial animus by describing it as “one of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin” (Perkins 41-42).
‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’ Argues without Argument ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’ is a complex short story told though the point of view of a sarcastic and insane protagonist, who has rapidly changing ideas about her surroundings, other characters and even her own psychological state. Because of this, readers may come to a variety of conclusions about major plot points and themes. Puzzled, readers will identify the piece as a horror story—a vivid portrayal of insanity with unsettling realism. This is indeed the conscious conclusion that Charlotte Perkins Gilman intends for her readers to form. However, the piece is so much more than a simple horror story; it is a deceptively hidden but powerful essay on female equality and marriage, two topics about which Gilman wrote frequently.
She started weeps for Martin, spending hours thinking about the boy. She then re-enacts in her head over and over again. She then becomes severely depressed. One night she plans to swallow all the aspirin in the bathroom cabinet, but stops at the sixth pill. Each pill represents each stage in her life: sorrow, anguish, depression, heartbreak, confusion and frustration.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” is driven by the narrator’s sense that the wallpaper is a text she must interpret, that it symbolizes something that affects her directly. Accordingly, the wallpaper develops its symbolism throughout the story. At first it seems merely unpleasant: it is ripped, soiled, and an “unclean yellow.” The worst part is the ostensibly formless pattern, which fascinates the narrator as she attempts to figure out how it is organized. After staring at the paper for hours, she sees a ghostly sub-pattern behind the main pattern, visible only in certain light. Eventually, the sub-pattern comes into focus as a desperate woman, constantly crawling and stooping, looking for an escape from behind the main pattern, which has come to resemble the bars of a cage.
By tearing it down, the narrator emerges from the wallpaper and asserts her own identity, albeit a somewhat confused, insane one. Though she must crawl around the room, as the woman in the wallpaper crawls around, this "creeping" is the first stage in a feminist uprising. From the beginning of the story, the narrator’s creativity is set in conflict with John’s rationality. As a writer, the narrator thrives in her use of her imagination, and her creativity is an inherent part of her nature. John does not recognize his wife’s fundamental creativity and believes that he can force out her imaginative fancies and replace them with his own solid
It was said that her eyes radiated her love for Christ. Lucy’s mother became very ill from a bleeding problem. She had tried many treatments, but failed. Lucy then asked her mother to accompany her to Saint Agatha’s shrine where they both prayed all night. Due to exhaustion, they both fell asleep near St. Agatha’s tomb.
She was first admitted to the hospital after she slit her wrists with a knife; this is the time she had become despondent, irritable, and out of control at home. The night before our interview, she had slammed her hand against the wall in an outburst of anger and frustration stating “I can’t stand it anymore” (Oster and Montgomery 41). Depression is defined as mood changes and other behaviors that are categorized from a small-scale sadness to extreme feelings of sorrow and thoughts to commit suicide (Oster and Sarah 43). In teenagers it occurs frequently and around a period in their lives when their identity begins to change. This tends to occur at a time when both males and females are trying to be unique from their parents, have gender and sexuality issues, and are making decisions for their well being.
The doll's house is the symbol that represents the emerging conflict between the world of adults and that of the children. The adults and the children see the doll's house from their own unique perspectives. From Aunt Beryl’s point of view the doll’s house is too big and the smell of paint is quite enough to make anyone seriously ill. Hence the doll's house stayed in the yard. From the children perspective, the doll's house is fascinating and the smell of paint is part of the joy and newness.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is an allergic reaction to medicine that causes horrible red, painful blisters and can be fatal. As a child, I was constantly plagued by severe ear infections anytime I would get a small cold. I remember sitting on a large floor pillow at this time, watching Barney, crying because I was in such horrible pain from an ear infection. These ear infections would occur around a few times per month. After visiting my pediatrician at age three, he referred us to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, also known as an otolaryngologist, who would prescribe me septra, or sulfa.