Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper was published in 1892. The story introduces a candid female protagonist who’s isolation from society, and from her writing, drives her insane. Written from a first person perspective, the story allows the reader to become personally involved with the narrator. Gilman uses symbolism throughout the story, two examples of which are the wallpaper and the wallpaper pattern. The story reveals interesting clues about how mental illness was treated at the time, and how women in particular were repressed by society. Through the use of a first person narrator and symbolism, Gilman explores the theme of madness and reveals important information about the treatment of women and mental illness at the time.
Gilman’s choice of point of view is important to the story. A key aspect is that the reader watches the protagonist’s descent into madness, from her own point of view. The first person perspective is certainly uncomfortable in places; it feels almost inappropriately close and personal. However, this was probably Gilman’s intention as a first person narrator is likely to illicit more empathy from a reader. As the tale progresses, the narrator starts to see people in the wallpaper pattern: “I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors” (Gilman, 1892, 2.23). This section feels like the protagonist is speaking directly to the reader and confiding in them. This conversational style of the first person narrator largely contributes to the success of the story.
Gilman uses symbolism in “The Yellow Wallpaper” to enhance the theme of madness. One such symbol relates to the wallpaper pattern. The narrator sees a woman trapped behind the pattern of the paper. This imaginary woman is a projection of the narrator and her confinement. Both because of her gender and her mental health difficulties, the narrator is cut off from society. The woman in the wallpaper represents the narrator’s constraint. In addition to the wallpaper pattern, the wallpaper itself could also be a symbol. The narrator begins to refer to the paper as simply “the paper.” The narrator’s interest in writing, which has again been suppressed by her husband, means that the wallpaper could represent her written art. With her mental power prevented from writing, the protagonist’s mind channels into her environment and the wallpaper become a replacement.
The Yellow Wallpaper reveals clues about its historical and cultural context. The author of this story, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, had reoccurring battles with her mental health. In 1887, she went to see a physician, who instructed her to spend all day resting in bed, and only allow herself two hours per day for reading and writing, or any activity. She did this for three months but became progressively sicker as a result (Hume, 2002, 1). As Beverly Hume (2002) points out, “Charlotte Perkins Gilman states she did not intend to drive readers “crazy” with The Yellow Wall-Paper, but only to expose a serious and extreme lapse in medical judgment, or wisdom, regarding the treatment of neurasthenia” (Hume, 2002, 1). The Yellow Wallpaper went public five years after Gilman had recovered. The story provides cultural information; at the time of writing, treatment for mental illness, particularly in women, was bed rest and abstinence from intellectual activity. Women were especially oppressed, and it seems the protagonist is painfully aware of this: “Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over” (Gilman, 1892, 9.4). This passage shows the connection between captivity and gender. The protagonist sometimes sees large groups of women trapped in the wallpaper.
Using a first person narrator and symbolism, Gilman explores the theme of madness and reveals important information about the treatment of mental illness at the time. Written in 1892, The Yellow Wallpaper provides interesting context about how mental illness was treated and how women were repressed. Broadly considered a feminist text, this story is an important piece that has maintained its popularity over the last century, and will probably continue to do so for many years to come.
References
Gilman, C. (1892). The Yellow Wallpaper. The New England Magazine.
Hume, B. (2002). Managing Madness in Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. Muse. Retrieved from: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/439664
