Charlotte Perkins Gilman's penned "The Yellow Wall-paper" at a time of immense changes in the early- to mid-nineteenth century society. A woman’s position remained in the privacy of her home as she carries out her stipulated role as mother and wife. In contrast, men ruled the world of politics, work, and economics. Nevertheless, the middle of the century brought changes that impacted positively on mental health. Many feminist groups embraced the changes in the concept of the “the New Woman.” Psychologist Patrice Engle writes, “despite mounting evidence of the impact of maternal mental health on women and children, prevention and treatment have been slow to enter into maternal and child health programs,” (Engle, par.1). As such, Gilman supports the revised roles for women as she believes that women should have identical political, social, and economic opportunities despite their mental health. Engle offers a comprehensive analysis of the mental state of women and gives the reader an insight into the way Gilman treats the theme of the impact of mental health in the “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
Gilman shows that there is no distinction in the mentality or means between women and men. Engle adds to this distinction as she shows that there is a “seriousness of maternal depression, the number of individuals affected, and the impact of maternal depression” (Engle, abstract) in women in this era. In Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” the woman suffered from an unknown illness. In today’s society, one would imagine her poor health to be Postpartum Depression. Although, it is unclear how she became depressed, there is the assumption that it stemmed from the birth of her child. Even today, this occurrence is common in many women. Often, doctors recommend a “rest cure” to treat this depression. In the past, Gilman shows that women were falsely diagnosed and did not get the treatment that they require. Nevertheless, it is clear that medical technology changed over the years and improved the way doctors treat post partum depression.
Like Gilman, Engle notes that women do not enjoy “the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health,” (Engle, par. 12). Therefore, the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper suffers great injustice at the hands of her husband and brother. The reader learns that the brother and husband treat the woman’s condition as a simple incident that did not require severe medical attention. When one looks at Engle’s report, one clearly understands the total disregard for the woman’s condition. Engle adds further clarity to the story as she writes, current medical “help support the inclusion of mental health into a health agenda,” (Engle, par.12). With the woman in the yellow wallpaper she did not get the right help so she lost her mind. Her illness grew worse and made her crazy in the end.
One could say that the narrator's mental health and nervous condition reminds the reader of the impulsive temperament of women. These characteristics offer danger as the narrator tears away at the wall paper as she finds a way to entertain herself despite the underdeveloped treatment of her postpartum depression. Engle forces the reader to delve more into Gilman’s story as she touches the treatment of postpartum depression and the impact on women. There is a clear indication that the woman suffers from the disease that the society does not see as important. Through her hallucinations and delusions of the women behind the wallpaper, Gilman shows that the woman’s condition started from the onset of the story. The behavior, which left untreated, leads to the bizarre behavior, confusion and disorientation, and extreme agitation or anxiety. After reading both Engle’s journal and Gilman’s short story, the reader realizes that postpartum depression becomes quite dangerous if left untreated.
Conversely, the story reflects Gilman's nervousness and depression. Similar to the main character in the story, Gilman required medical help and received the famous "rest cure" during her episode wit post partum depression. This treatment excused women from any task that encouraged physical or mental work. The reader sees the narrator as emotionally unstable in the story. Clearly, Gilman writes from personal and medical perspective and uses her characters to tell her personal story. The narrator's illness is mental. John and the narrator’s brother conclude that she is healthy, but suffers a "temporary nervous depression--a slight hysterical tendency," (Gilman 10). After reading “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the reader accepts that the women merely needed rest to overcome her state of depression. However, Engle’s review clarified the common misconception of the readers as she indicates that postpartum depression is more complex than it appears at a first glance. Hence, Engle notes “the condition is of paramount importance,” (Engle, par.17).
In fact, modern science “calls on international agencies and governments to take immediate action to address maternal mental health as part of health services,” (Engle. par.17). This new look at the woman’s condition, suggests that if one is not treated properly for this depression, then the result will be similar to the narrator in the story who goes completely mad. One realizes that John's medical diagnosis is incorrect as postpartum depression as “early detection with validated screening instruments and appropriate [medical] treatment,” (Engle, par. 18) can lessen the negative impact of post partum depression.
Gilman’s reference to the “rest cure” in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is similar to her personal experience with post partum depression. With Engle’s help, the reader understands that the narrator’s feelings of loneliness intensify as she suffers through her bout of sickness alone. She believes that her husband and brother trivialize her true state of sickness, but Gilman writes an emphatic story that shows that the woman behind the wallpaper suffers as much as the narrator in her feelings of neglect. Based on Gilman’s experience with the “rest cure,” one realizes that the narrator is not merely a fictional character, but one who speaks Gilman’s negative thoughts about the trendy rest cure. The narrator quickly realizes that although “John is a physician, he does not believe that I am sick,” (Gilman, p. 647). She accepts her situation and asks, “and what can one do,” (Gilman, p.647).
The narrator’s question leads to a clear understanding of the second rated treatment that women received in this era. One sees that postpartum depression often leads to a feeling of oppression within the family as many individuals seek to silence women who suffer from postpartum depression. Women faced oppression from their male counterparts, and Gilman makes a solid statement about the oppression of females in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator feels trapped in her life: “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- - slight hysterical tendency- - what is one to do,” (Gilman, p. 648). There is no doubt in the reader’s mind that Gilman wants her audience to understand the way that the society continues to suppress women. The women feel trapped as Gilman writes “there comes John, and I must put this away, - he hates to have me write,” (Gilman, p. 648). The narrator’s resigned tone shows the reader that she learnt to accept the dictates of the society as she tries to please her husband in every way.
In support of Gilman, Engle believes that women with postpartum depression face unfair treatment in the society. The boundaries that the society creates force Gilman to combine her private and public life. Arguably, the narrator attempts to tear the wallpaper from the walls to free the woman from its confines, and forces the reader to conclude that Gilman uses her pen to tear away at the patriarchal society. The rules that govern the treatment of women in the story are similar to the rules that forces Gilman to try to break through the changes in the society, and help the reader to understand the postpartum depression is a serious matter. In addition, just as the narrator faced difficulty trying to tear down the old wallpaper in her story, Gilman faced difficulties when she tried to push through the wallpaper of tradition. In contrast to the narrator, who becomes free from behind the wallpaper, Gilman does not see her life’s work complete.
The symbolism in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the imprisonment that many females face in their lifetime. The narrator clearly states that “the faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if she wanted to get out” (Gilman, p. 654). If one takes the narrator’s words literally, then one would believe that the narrator has a wonderful and loving husband, she is physically sick, and that people live behind wallpapers. But, Gilman uses these ideas to speak to the ways the husband shows his dominance over his wife. The husband treats her like a child and he does not understand that she is not physically sick, but emotionally disturbed. The wallpaper presents itself as an obstacle in Gilman’s journey in life. She uses the narrator to show that there are a number of obstacles that prevent people from achieving their goals. The narrator faces the obstacle of the wallpaper head-on and shows that women are stronger than they appear to be at a first reading of the story.
Engle’s paper on postpartum depression in the world is essential to the reader’s understanding of the treatment of women with the disorder. In fact, the two common threads that connect Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the narrator in the story are entrapment and postpartum depression. Similar to Gilman, the narrator finds that the society serves as a barrier to women’s advancement. When the narrator asks that the wallpaper be removed, she becomes confined to the very room that is the source of her obsession. Her husband represents the typical oppressor in the character’s life as he continues to exert his role as the most important person in the narrator’s life. Like Gilman, the narrator tries to embrace changes in the lives of women. Gilman wants to remove the barriers that hinder her freedom of speech, and the narrator wants to remove the mental barriers that the wallpaper represents in her life. The narrator yearns for the changes that would make her get well, but the husband seeks to confine the narrator to the expectations of the society.
Freedom from the oppressive conventional role of the female is clearly a bond between Gilman and the narrator. Conversely, the wallpaper symbolizes the society and serves as an escape for Gilman. The women in the story try to break away from behind the wallpaper; while the narrator tries to get away from the rest cure for her medical condition. The story takes place at a time when the perfect woman took on her assigned social role and accepts the stipulated as a woman who stays at home and takes care of her family. Therefore, she lives up to the expectations of a society that violates “an important argument for the prevention and treatment of maternal depression is based on the fulfillment of human rights,” (Engle, par.11). The woman who could not accept these conditions found a life filled with ridicule from the society and faced punishment from her peers. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the husband treats his wife like a child, and shows that society regards women as those who have little intelligence. He calls her his “little goose” and reiterates the vision that the narrator is like a child to the man. As a result, the reader sees that Gilman demonstrates oppression through the male’s dialogue and actions.
In concluding, Engle offers a psychological overview of the importance of postpartum depression in women in modern times. This review is in direct contrast to the treatment of women in the past. The clear violation of the rights of the woman suffering from postpartum depression is clear in the way Gilman shows the treatment of women in the society. One sees that Gilman attempts to show the two sides of women in the nineteenth century. On the one hand, Gilman shows the way women conform to the society’s expectations as the woman tries to please her husband. She accepts his medical diagnosis and takes the rest that he believes that she needs to get better. Gilman shows that the narrator overcomes her conformist ways at the end of the story. She tears away the wall paper completely and notes that she has gotten out at last.
On the other hand, this freedom reinforces the views that Gilman uses the woman in the story to speak about the oppression she faced as a writer and the small steps she takes to remove the boundaries that held her captive in “yellow wallpaper.” In essence, Gilman feels strongly about the freedom of women. She makes it clear that gender has no significant role in the mental capabilities of women and men in the society. The story reflects the struggles of females as they seek to be heard in the society. Clearly, Gilman uses the dialogue of the thoughts of her characters and symbolism to show the impact of an oppressive society; and how women show that they are strong enough to break the boundaries of medical oppression.
Works Cited
Engle, Patrice, Maternal Mental Health: Program and Policy Implications, First
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