” By Charlotte Perkins Gilman Essay, Research Paper
The Yellow Wallpaper – Journey into Insanity
In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanity.
Flawed human nature seems to play a great role in her breakdown. Her husband, a noted physician, is unwilling to admit that there might really be something wrong with his wife. This same attitude is seen in her brother, who is also a physician. While this attitude, and the actions taken because of it, certainly contributed to her breakdown; it seems to me that there is a rebellious spirit in her. Perhaps unconsciously she seems determined to prove them wrong.
As the story begins, the woman — whose name we never learn — tells of her depression and how it is dismissed by her husband and brother. “You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do? 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
* * * * * Roberts 2
tendency — what is one to do?” (Gilman 193). These two men — both doctors — seem completely unable to admit that there might be more to her condition than than just stress and a slight nervous condition. Even when a summer in the country and weeks of bed-rest don’t help, her husband refuses to accept that she may have a real problem.
Throughout the story there are examples of the dominant – submissive relationship. She is virtually imprisoned in her bedroom, supposedly to allow her to rest and recover her health. She is forbidden to work, “So I . . . am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again.” (Gilman 193). She is not even supposed to write: “There comes John, and I must put this away — he hates to have me write a word.” (Gilman 194).
She has no say in the location or decor of the room she is virtually imprisoned in: “I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted…But John would not hear of it.” (Gilman 193).
She can’t have visitors: “It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work…but he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now.” (Gilman 196).
Probably in large part because of her oppression, she continues to decline. “I don’t feel as if it was worthwhile to turn my hand over for anything. . .” (Gilman 197). It seems that her husband is oblivious to her declining conditon, since he never admits she has a real problem until
* * * * * Roberts 3
the end of the story — at which time he fainted.
John could have obtained council from someone less personally involved in her case, but the only help he seeks was for the house and baby. He obtains a nanny to watch over the children while he was away at work each day: “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby.” (Gilman 195). And he had his sister Jennie take care of the house. “She is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper.” (Gilman 196).
He does talk of taking her to an expert: “John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall.” But she took that as a threat since he was even more domineering than her husband and brother.
Not only does he fail to get her help, but by keeping her virtually a prisoner in a room with nauseating wallpaper and very little to occupy her mind, let alone offer any kind of mental stimulation, he almost forces her to dwell on her problem. Prison is supposed to be depressing, and she is pretty close to being a prisoner.
Perhaps if she had been allowed to come and go and do as she pleased her depression might have lifted: “I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me.” (Gilman 195). It seems that just being able to tell someone how she really felt would have eased her depression, but John won’t hear of it. The lack of an outlet caused the depression to worsen: “…I must say what I feel and
* * * * * Roberts 4
think in some way — it is such a relief! But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief.” (Gilman 198).
Meanwhile her reaction is to seek to prove him wrong. “John is a physician, and perhaps . . . perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster. You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?” (Gilman 193). It seems to me that while putting on an appearance of submission she was frequently rebelling against her husband’s orders. She writes when there is nobody around to see her, she tries to move her bed, but always keeps an eye open for someone comming. This is obvious throughout the story.
It also seems to me that, probably because of his oppressive behaviour, she wants to drive her husband away. “John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I am glad my case is not serious!” (Gilman 195). As her breakdown approaches she actually locks him out of her room: “I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path. I don’t want to go out, and I don’t want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him.” (Gilman 203). I see no reason for this other than to force him to see that he was wrong, and, since she knew he couldn’t tolerate hysteria, to drive him away.
STORY OF AN HOUR QUOTES
There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.
And yet she had loved him–sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!
“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.
Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for admission. “Louise, open the door! I beg, open the door–you will make yourself ill. What are you doing Louise? For heaven’s sake open the door.”
“Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.
Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.
She arose at length and opened the door to her sister’s importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister’s waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.
Some one was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry; at Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.
But Richards was too late.
When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease– of joy that kills.
Другие работы по теме:
Yellow Essay Research Paper The Repressive Elements
Yellow Essay, Research Paper The Repressive Elements of The Yellow Wallpaper Often times what is meant to help can hinder. Positive intentions do not always bring about desirable effects. The “Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of such an occurrence. In this short story the narrator is detained in a lonesome, drab room in an attempt to free herself of a nervous disorder.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper Critical
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper Critical Response to Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” Using Biographical and Historical Criticism Charlotte Gilman was a renowned feminist author who published most of her work in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Her works, of which “The Yellow Wallpaper” is most famous, reflect her feminist views.
The Yellow WallpaperJourney Into Insanity Essay Research
Paper The Yellow Wallpaper – Journey Into Insanity In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, thedominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wifepushes her from depression into insanity. Flawed human nature seems to play a great rolein her breakdown.
Who Is Jane In
“The Yellow Wallpaper” Essay, Research Paper Who is Jane? There are many opposing opinions on the identity of Jane in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator of the story is never referred to by name throughout the entire work, however a questionable statement made by the narrator at the end of the story leads many to believe her name is Jane.
Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper EntrapmentWhen trapped
Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper Entrapment When trapped or confined, there are several crucial steps toward freedom. The most important of these steps is the ability to see the walls that are holding you, or for that matter keeping you out. Through the comparison of three very different stories, there is one evident similarity.
The Yellow Wallpaper And The Chrysanthemums
– Symbols Of Entrapment Essay, Research Paper Talents and dreams, hopes and desires, shunned by the husbands and times of the women in ?The Crysanthemums? and ?The Yellow Wallpaper.? The wife, Elisa, in ?The Crysanthemums?, reflects an internal struggle with herself to find her place in a world of definite gender roles. ?The Yellow Wallpaper? traces the treatment of a woman who descends from depression to madness in the male-imposed psychiatric confinement of her room.
Women In Story Of An Hour And
Essay, Research Paper Women in Story of an Hour and The Yellow Wallpaper Two women from two different books shared the same contrast and similarities. From the books of The Story of the Hour by Kate Chapin, and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins. These two stories had a lot in common and shared a lot of the same views about women in the late 1800 s.
The Driving Force Of Setting Essay Research
Paper The setting of a work of fiction establishes its historical, geological, and physical location. Where and when the story takes place influences interpretations of the story s events and characters. Setting may be vital to a story, influencing character s behavior, as it does in Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The Yellow Wallpaper and as in Kate Chopin s The Storm.
Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper In the
Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; a central conflict centers between the narrator and her husband, John. The husband uses his power as a doctor to control her; he forces her to behave how he thinks a sick woman should. The husband can be seen as a father figure who overprotects her and makes decisions for her.
Critical Response To The Yellow WallPaper Essay
, Research Paper Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The Yellow Wall-paper is set in the late 1800s in a colonial mansion (1657). The mansion sits back from the road, surrounded by hedges and walls and gates that lock (1658). It is also bordered by separate houses made for gardeners and other servants, a garden brimming with grapes, and greenhouses, which have been long forgotten (1658).
Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper Journey into
Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper Journey into Insanity ?The Yellow Wallpaper? by Charlotte Gilman In ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/ submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanity. It is about the growing madness of a young married woman arising out of the pressures of her life.
Compare Jane And Emily
Yellow Wallpaper And Rose For Emily Essay, Research Paper ?Jane and Emily? Jane in ?The Yellow Wallpaper? and Emily in ?A Rose for Emily? were two women who were both driven to insanity by similar factors. Both women had very controlling men in their lives that greatly limited their social lives, causing the two women to suffer tremendously from loneliness.
The Yellow Wallpaper 4 Essay Research Paper
Women in literature are often portrayed in a position that is dominated by men, especially in the nineteenth century, women were repressed and controlled by their husbands as well as other male influences. In “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator is oppressed and represents the major theme of the effect of oppression of women in society.
Trapped Women In The Yellow Wallpaper Essay
, Research Paper Trapped Females in ?The Yellow Wallpaper? Women in literature are often portrayed in a position that is dominated by men, especially in the nineteenth century. Women were repressed and controlled by their husbands as well as other male influences. In ?The Yellow Wallpaper,? the narrator is oppressed and represents the major theme of the effect of oppression of women in society.
The Independence Of Women The Yellow Wallpaper
Essay, Research Paper The Independence of Women “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story of a woman, her psychological difficulties, and her husband’s so called therapeutic treatment of her ailments during the late 1800s. The story begins with a young woman and her husband traveling to the country for the summer to help heal the young woman’s psychological condition.
The Yellow Wallpaper A Woman
’s Struggle Essay, Research Paper The Yellow Wallpaper: A Woman’s Struggle Pregnancy and childbirth are very emotional times in a woman’s life and many
Gender Roles Essay Research Paper A View
Gender Roles Essay, Research Paper A View on Gender Roles While having read “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Gillman, I have realized that much is to be said about early roles of women and how psychology tied into them. The hardships of the lives of women were not dwelled upon as if it were a man’s life. Most if not all of the females of this era had specific gender roles that were followed.
Yellow Wallpaper And Darling Essay Research Paper
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman?s, ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, and Anton Chekhov?s, ?The Darling?, we are introduced to main characters with lives surrounded by control. In Gilman?s, ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, the main
The Struggle For Independence In Charlotte Perkins
Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. Essay, Research Paper “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the story of women’s struggle for independence in a patriarchal society. In the story the wallpaper is an important symbol as is the woman behind it. The narrator’s thoughts about the wallpaper tell us a great deal of how she feels about the situation she is in.
Gilman
’s The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper “Gaining Freedom” “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman is a sad story of the repression that women face in the days of late 1800’s as well as being representative of the turmoil s that women face today. Gilman writes “The Yellow Wallpaper” from her own personal experiences of having to face the overwhelming fact that this is a male dominated society and how women suffer because of it.
The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Essay, Research Paper Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” explores the restricted societal roles of both Jane and John. Gilman, a strong supporter of women’s rights, focuses on her account with depression through this story (Hill 150). Traditionally, the man must take care of the woman both financially and emotionally while the woman’s role remains at home.
The Yellow Wallpaper 6 Essay Research Paper
The Yellow Wallpaper In The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator becomes more depressed throughout the story due to the recommendation of isolation that was prescribed to her. In this short story, the narrator is detained in a lonesome, drab, room in attempt to be freed of a nervous disorder.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper Quiz
?The Yellow Wallpaper? Essay, Research Paper Quiz #1 Resubmission Exercise (The Yellow Wallpaper) “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a story of a woman and her struggle with her psychological problems, and her quest to regain her sanity. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator instructed to refrain from any intellectual activity and to engage in total bed rest in order to cure her depression.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Research Paper The 2
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper The Yellow Wallpaper – Journey into Insanity In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/submissive relationship between an
The Yellow WallPaper Essay Research Paper In
The Yellow Wall-Paper Essay, Research Paper In ? The Yellow Wall-Paper?, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the main character was described as a little insane woman. In the beginning of the story, although she was suffering from a continuous nervous breakdown, her mental condition was not so serious and deep.
Life Influences In The Writing Of The
Yellow Wallp Essay, Research Paper “Life Influences in the Writing of The Yellow Wallpaper”One of the most influential feminist writers of the late nineteenth century is Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Her writings deal primarily with ideas concerning the suppression of women by men and opposition to the conventional views on marriage and a woman’s life in the home.
Oppression And Madness Essay Research Paper Oppression
Oppression And Madness Essay, Research Paper Oppression And Madness The Yellow Wallpaper, written in 1892 by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a chilling story of one woman s descent into madness. It is also a disturbing but brilliant analysis of the extreme efforts of society, at this time, and in some ways today as well, to oppress women in order to reflect the common role of women as a subordinate to men, especially their husbands.
Character Analysis Essay Research Paper Character AnalysisAnalyzing
Character Analysis Essay, Research Paper Character Analysis Analyzing a character can explain many things about a character to an audience. A character analysis can be based on small things such as physical characteristics to as complex as a character s thought s of life. Many things such as conflict, setting, point of view, and the author should be considered when analyzing a character.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanS The Yellow Wallpaper Essay
, Research Paper ?The Yellow Wallpaper?: Symbols of a Woman?s Submissions In Charlotte Perkins Gilman?s ?The Yellow Wallpaper?, we see a shivering study of derangement. It is a grievous story narrated by a young woman driven to insanity by a husband that imposes a rest/cure for her sickness, although he believes that it is only ?temporary nervous depression…? (118).
Yelow WallPaper Essay Research Paper The Yellow
Yelow Wall-Paper Essay, Research Paper The Yellow Wall-Paper The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story about a woman and her psychological difficulties, in which her husband tries to help her. The story, although very captivating, is very confusing. It s easy to follow but hard to get a meaning or reasoning about what is going on.
The Yellow Wallpaper What The Hell Essay 2
The Yellow Wallpaper: What The Hell???? Essay, Research Paper The Yellow Wallpaper: What The Hell???? The Yellow Wallpaper does nothing but confuse me. It seems to be about
The Yellow WallPaper Essay Research Paper The
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay, Research Paper ?The Yellow Wallpaper? A major theme in ?The Yellow Wallpaper? by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is that solitary confinement and exclusion from the public results in insanity. The use of imagery and setting helps illustrate this theme throughout the story. The unnamed protagonist in this story suffers from a nervous disorder which is enhanced by her feeling of being trapped within a room.