John is a physician and believes that his wife is only suffering from a “temporary nervous depression-a slight hysterical tendency” (70) and due to this condition she should obtain plenty of rest, air and exercise but absolutely no work. The narrator is a writer that is forbidden to write because her husband believes that any form of society or stimulus could cause her condition to deteriorate further. As the story continue you beginning to understand the relationship between the narrator and her husband John. John seems to be very controlling and throughout the story berates his wife, while treating her like a small child that needs caring for. Every attempt that is made by the narrator to express her concerns is met with opposition or disregard.
Kamara Bellis Buckner English 1301 25 JUN 09 The Victorian Woman’s Insane Treatment in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” During the Victorian era, woman were to be dependant and obedient of their husbands. They were not allowed to pursue careers or interests. Gilman, being a woman of this time experienced this oppression first hand. She had been diagnosed with a nervous condition and was ordered to bed rest after the birth of her child. This ill-fated treatment prescribed by her physician Weir Mitchell, whom she referenced in her story, drove her to the brink of insanity.
Metaphorical Meaning of the Yellow Wallpaper in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Short Story “The Yellow Wallpaper” The short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman portrays the central theme of women being restricted, more specifically women who are married and/or undergoing a mental illness. In the short story, there is a reoccurring symbol of wallpaper that commits “every artistic sin” and that the narrator seems to be focused on yet disgusted by. This wallpaper metaphorically represents the narrator’s state of mind through the detailed description of the pattern, color, and lines reflecting her constant confusion and her role as a wife and mother. The narrator’s vivid description of the patterns mirrors the thoughts flowing in her mind. The wallpaper’s tendency to go into knots and “pointless patterns” of lines with no ending imitates her mind; the wallpaper just like her thoughts is a loop that always moves in never-ending circles.
However, as Ms. Gilman stated, I do not believe that was her goal in writing this story. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is constructed on a couple of different dimensions, each of which needs to be distinguished to understand fully this story’s real meaning. Doing this era women were expected to remain virtuous and pure, to be modest, devout in their faith, and submissive to their male. This was evident in the medical profession and in The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman demonstrates the arrogant attitude men display towards women when she highlights the fact that even her husband does not believe she is ill, that she merely suffers from “temporary bouts of nervous depression.” In The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman and her husband have rented a mansion for the summer so she can recuperate from the recent birth of their child. She rests in an upstairs room, a former nursery, with peeling yellow wallpaper, which becomes her obsession.
The main character suffers from depression. Her husband wants to help with her illness, but only helps make her worse by preventing her from enjoying what she loves the most. "There comes John, and I must put this away, he hates to have me write words. "(Gilman,Charlotte) John does not think that his wife should write, rather he wants her to rest everyday in the room with yellow wallpaper. The wallpaper however begins to take a toll on the woman’s life.
Throughout the book, tension builds and drops – there are some upsetting and discomforting affairs for the Fox family. Sexism is a main theme in the book as the main protagonist’s Father is a prime example or how men treated woman in the 1915/20’s. The reader is exposed to Father treating Mother in such ways that would be frowned upon nowadays. An example of this is when father talks down to mother, and doesn’t expect her to understand when they are talking about the war, etc. Another major theme in the book is sickness and health, as Alexandra ends up training to be a nurse, and father is also a doctor and works with shell-shock patients who are portrayed to the leader in different characters.
Women’s reality, such as Gilman’s, in this time period was being a submissive wife with few rights in society. This fictional story, appears to be more reality than fiction. The Yellow Wallpaper is a feminist text used as a cry for help of all the oppressed women from nineteenth century. Women’s repression was a problem that impacted the lives of those who lived in this time period. This story expresses a concern of the role women, particularly within the aspect of marriage, maternity, and domesticity.
Chopin’s story gave insight from a different perspective on the characters and situations in “The Awakening.” Psychoanalyzing the character Edna Pontellier was one of the easiest characters to analyze. She was going through what many women went through in that time of history. Women were filled with resentment in those days. Edna became the woman who life was only about taking care of her husband and children, which lead her to become more resentful and full of regrets when it came down to her life. “Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, (Chopin, 1899).” Chopin developed the character Mrs. Pontellier that many women were in that day.
Juan Montoya English Comp II Prof. Bordogna February 6, 2013 “A Secret Sorrow” and “A Sorrowful Woman” both have a different attitude, not just in their life but their families as well. As the both the wives live their life daily, they grow into despair and depression because their problems. They share that there both in a bad position whether its physical health, or emotional health. As the story of “A Secret Sorrow” progresses, Faye becomes more understanding and willing to participate in what her husband Kai was telling her. In “A Sorrowful Woman” Godwin’s unnamed wife character, starts off in depression and only worsens as the story progresses.
Linda may come across as a strong woman who has her head on her shoulders but she is weak and needs to have someone, even if they treat her as poorly as Willy did. Ophelia on the other hand, needs her brother and father for similar reasons, she doesn’t know how to be alone or make decisions for herself since they have always dictated her life for her. She relies heavily on both of these men, and has absolutely no sense of independence. Her reliance on her father is shown when her father dies and she completely loses her mind, “Oh, this poison of deep grief. It springs all from her father’s death, and now behold!