Analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written in 1890, portrays the patriarchal structure of the 19th century and consequences it had, specifically for women’s mental health. Gilman tells a story of a woman with a “nervous condition” and slowly begins to lose sight of reality, but writing, something that is forbidden to her, is the only thing keeping her sane. However, as the story unfolds and we look deeper into her diary entries, we can see her mental state progressively worsening as she becomes more obsessed with the “woman” in her wallpaper. In her study of the story, controlling the Female Psyche: Assigned Gender Roles in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’,” Elizabeth Carey discusses Gilman’s warning about the “consequences of fixed gender roles assigned by male-dominated societies”. Even though this story was written over a hundred years ago, the gender roles demonstrated are still very much presented in society today. We still see many places in which women are simply expected to get married, have kids and take care of the household, and obey their husbands. Also, we can see many careers in which the male industry dominates in salary, although women are doing the same, if not more, amounts of work. This story depicts the effect of confinement on the narrator’s mental health, and her descent into psychosis; with nothing to stimulate her, she becomes obsessed by the pattern and color of her wallpaper.

From the beginning of the story, we can see the woman shown as being sick. Even though the narrator doesn’t believe her husband’s diagnosis is correct, she doesn’t openly question it, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?”(1). In this case, the husband has the ability to control the perception of his wife to his own advantage. This showcases how the wife never really has any true control, even of her individuality. Also, throughout her entries we can see how she continuously talks about John, her husband, and his thoughts. Phrases like “John says…,” “John thought…,” “John does…,” and “John would…,” show her loyalty and trust in him. She believes that what he says is proper and it’s this unquestioning faith in John that exposes her to the detrimental impacts of submission.

Another thing that is revealed in this story is the male ignorance of a mother’s health and needs. John “hates to have [his wife] sick” but doesn’t do anything to help her condition or listen to her needs. On the contrary, we can see her mental state getting worse as the entries go on. The narrator wasn’t given an opportunity to explain what she’s feeling, or her thoughts on why she may be feeling a certain way. It’s interesting to see because as her husband tries to do more to help her ‘condition’, it’s really just making it worse for her mental health. The problem during this period, I believe, was that men didn’t know how to deal with women’s health issues. This, at many times, led to “misdiagnosing a whole host of disorders as female hysteria”, according to Carey. Gilman’s whole point is to emphasize that women suffered simply because they were women. When the narrator says, ‘John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him’, this proves that men assumed that without plausible cause, one should not have any mental health issues. What’s worse was when she believes him about it, thinking that she’s ‘meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort’ but instead she’s ‘a comparative burden already!’ It’s heartbreaking to see her put down her worth and attempt to invalidate her own feelings, regardless of whether or not she knows why she’s feeling that way.

‘I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time’ (Gilman 3). This quote shows us what kind of headspace she’s in at this time. She doesn’t exactly know why she’s crying or what’s making her upset, but the fact is that she’s upset. However, she does mention that, “Of course I don’t when John is here, or anybody else, but when I am alone’, meaning she feels like she can’t even cry in front of them. This emphasizes the narrator’s understanding of feeling like she’s being a burden on her family. This whole situation is unhealthy, the patient is hiding her true feelings from the people who should be trying to help her out of this depression. Something that worsens this situation is how she isn’t allowed to see her baby, “And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me nervous”. This is a small detail, something barely mentioned, but it has a significant impact. A new, young mother is being prevented from being with the most fundamental thing in her life. This also symbolizes how many women were being kept from the important things in their own lives, including opportunities for equality.

The “rest cure”, according to Carey, is a way to “regain control over a situation they did not comprehend”. It is not surprising that Gilman structured her story as an attack on this ineffective and cruel course of treatment, as she herself was under this cure. The Yellow Wallpaper Is an illustration of the way a mind that is already plagued with anxiety can deteriorate and begin to prey on itself when it is forced into inactivity and kept from healthy work. At the time, postpartum trauma or stress wasn’t a thing, no one knew of it, what it was about, or how it made you feel. I believe the narrator’s “nervous condition” had something to do with her birth and her misdiagnosis caused the issue to further advance. We can see how the narrator feels uncomfortable in the house, “the most beautiful place”. This place is meant to be a sanctuary of healing for her but rather, the narrator believes, “there is something strange about the house—, she can “feel it”. Instead of a sanctuary, it’s made out to seem more like a prison, and the wallpaper emphasizes this. Writing about the personification of the wallpaper and identifying herself with the woman inside is a way, Lanser wrote, “to ‘escape’ her husband’s ‘sentence’ and to achieve the limited freedom of madness which constitutes a kind of sanity in the face of the insanity of male dominance”. She’s led to a deeper hole of hysterics as time continues in that house because of the mental constraints placed upon her. She’s forced to hide her anxieties and fears in order to preserve a “happy” marriage and make it seem as if she’s winning the fight against her own depression.

In a nineteenth-century short story focused on the social issues of a patriarchal structure and the effect it had on women’s mental health, Gilman’s protagonist is portrayed as one with a subdued personality, one that knew not to speak her thoughts. In a society where men dominated the medical industry, women found it difficult to live their lives authentically, without worrying about what others may think or say. This story was a great example of the inferior roles of women in society during that time and the ways it affected a woman’s psychological and emotional well-being.

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