Introduction
“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short narrative by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a prominent nineteenth-century feminist writer. The novella was published in 1892 and represents the social and cultural environment of the time when women were frequently seen as inferior to males and denied opportunities for education and independence. The fact that the narrator’s husband and brother are doctors is noteworthy because it demonstrates the time’s idea that women were incapable of intellectual pursuits and needed to be governed and cared for by males. The story’s objective was to raise awareness of society’s oppression of women and question established gender norms. Gilman emphasizes the psychological toll of confinement and control via the narrator’s perspective and advocates for women’s right to self-expression and autonomy (Gilman 7). The essay will be structured chronologically, following the development of the story’s themes and motifs, and will support the argument with a critical and analytical approach. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a scathing indictment of Gilman’s patriarchal society and a call for women’s emancipation.
Discussion
The historical background of the narrative was influential in molding the author’s writing and the subjects tackled in her book. The story was written during a tremendous cultural change in the United States. “I have a rope up here that not even Jennie could discover. I can bind the woman if she does emerge and attempts to flee” (Gilman 13). The author emphasizes the protagonist’s desire to take control of her own life and escape the restrictive cultural conventions that limit her freedom. At this period, women were beginning to express their independence and question established gender norms, while the medical establishment was starting to comprehend the complexity of mental health. These societal shifts affected Gilman, who utilized her work to analyze women’s issues during the period. The burgeoning women’s rights movement is one of the essential components of the narrative setting. Women were seeking more possibilities for education and jobs outside the house at the time and questioning society’s established norms.
In her writing, Gilman emphasizes the necessity for women to question conventional gender norms, the significance of upholding women’s rights and giving women the freedom to express their independence and uniqueness. The author was a staunch supporter of women’s rights who used her writing to investigate the influence of conventional gender roles on women’s mental health. Through the protagonist of the short tale, Gilman demonstrated the constrictive nature of these roles and their effects on a woman’s self-esteem and well-being. As the narrator says, “Despite you and Jane, I have finally managed to escape, I remarked. You cannot put me back since most of the paper has been removed by me” (Gilman 17). The quote outlines how the story’s protagonist defied society’s conventional expectations for her as a woman. It emphasizes the protagonist’s awakening that she must struggle against the oppressive societal demands imposed on her to preserve her mental and emotional health.
The narrative was created in reaction to the restrictive nature of conventional gender norms that required women to be subservient and obedient to males. Gilman illustrated the influence these positions might have on a woman’s mental health and self-esteem through the protagonist’s journey into madness. The protagonist’s captivity and her husband’s insistence on separating her from the outside world are striking condemnations of the patriarchal culture that maintains these positions (Krome 50). The narrator highlights the protagonist’s confinement and her husband’s determination to keep her from the outside world when she adds, “John is aware that despite how quiet I am, I do not sleep well at night. He did the same to me and claimed to be nice and polite while asking me various questions. He acts like I cannot see right through him!” (Gilman 20). This quotation demonstrates how the protagonist’s spouse is authoritarian and manipulative, claiming to care about her welfare to do so. It highlights the detrimental effects of patriarchal culture on women’s mental and emotional well-being.
The author further stresses her disgust with this culture by using the yellow wallpaper as a metaphor for the patriarchal society that upholds repressive gender stereotypes. The plot revolves around a woman who suffers from a neurological ailment and is kept in her room by her husband, a physician. The protagonist’s only way out of her imprisonment is to grow fascinated with the yellow wallpaper in her room. “The hue is repulsive, almost revolting; it is a smoldering dirty yellow that the slowly moving sunshine has oddly dimmed. In some spots, it has a sickly sulfur tone and a drab yet lurid orange in others (Gilman 22). The quotation emphasizes the protagonist’s fixation on the wallpaper and how it affects her mental state, showing how her circumstances’ oppressiveness drives her insane.
The story was written when the medical establishment was only beginning to understand the complexities of mental health. Many doctors at the time believed that mental illness was caused by women’s inherent emotional instability and advocated treatments such as bed rest and isolation to treat the condition. The story’s protagonist has a neurological illness and is confined to her chamber by her spouse, a physician. Her husband considers her anxiety a symptom of her condition and is adamant about keeping her isolated from the outside world. The increasing women’s rights movement and the evolving mental health awareness in the late nineteenth century affected the story’s cultural backdrop and development (Prüller-Jagenteufel et al. 231). “I think that enjoyable employment that is exciting and changing would benefit me. What should one do, though?” (Gilman 18). In addition to highlighting the defective medical methods of the day, which disregarded patients’ specific requirements and treated all cases of mental illness uniformly, this quotation emphasizes the protagonist’s desire for an alternative kind of therapy. Gilman criticized the restrictive nature of conventional gender roles and the erroneous medical procedures of the day via her work, providing a striking commentary on the influence these cultural variables may have on a woman’s mental health and well-being.
In addition, the story depicts the time’s prevalent attitudes toward women and their mental health. The protagonist, a woman suffering from depression, is confined to her bedroom by her physician husband. Through her own experience, Gilman criticizes the patriarchal culture that strives to control and suppress women’s brains and bodies and the negative impacts of this oppression on women’s mental and emotional well-being (Redemann 280). The tale opens with the unnamed narrator explaining her battles with melancholy and anxiety and her husband’s urging that she rest and recuperate. However, her husband’s best remedy, which entails seclusion and repression, only worsens her illness. She is not permitted to leave her room, write, or even visit her friends, and she is supposed to play a passive role and let her husband care for her. This lack of stimulation and her incapacity to connect with the world around her contribute to her mental decline.
Gilman argues for change and advocates for a society in which women are viewed as equal and valued humans via the protagonist’s journey. The story begins with the narrator discussing her struggles with depression and anxiety and her husband’s advice to relax and heal. However, her husband’s best treatment, which involves isolation and repression, worsens her disease (Redemann 275). She is not allowed to leave her chamber, write, or even see her friends, and she is expected to be a passive participant in her husband’s care. She interprets the patterns and figures in the wallpaper as a reflection of her repressed wants and feelings as her fixation with the yellow wallpaper in her room grows. She recognizes that her spouse and cultural conventions have imprisoned and confined her, and she chooses to take matters into her own hands.
The narrative emphasizes the value of autonomy and individual rights for women and the necessity for a more caring and empowering approach to women’s health. The story’s climax, in which the narrator takes down the wallpaper and becomes progressively erratic, might be seen as a sign of her independence. She has finally discovered a means to express herself and break free from the restraints that had previously held her back. Her actions may appear unreasonable, but they reflect the psychological toll that persecution and repression can take (Redemann 281). She is breaking away from the patriarchal culture that has oppressed her by breaking free from the wallpaper.
Gilman created the story to highlight the late-nineteenth-century harsh and restricting cultural views towards women and their mental health. The story’s protagonist is a lady who suffers from depression and is confined to her bedroom by her husband, a physician. Gilman criticizes the prevalent medical treatment of women’s mental illness, which typically comprises seclusion and repression, via the protagonist’s experience and urges for a more sympathetic and empowering approach to women’s health (Redemann 278). In this way, “The Yellow Wallpaper’s” goal was to raise awareness of the situation and advocate for change. The author advocates for a more compassionate and empowered approach to women’s health, highlighting the need to treat women’s mental health with respect and dignity. She emphasizes the significance of women’s mental and emotional health by giving voice to the protagonist’s battle against patriarchal conventions and restrictive medical procedures.
Conclusion
“The Yellow Wallpaper” narrative is a striking indictment of 19th-century patriarchal society and a cry for women’s emancipation. The narrative depicts the cultural and social background of the time and emphasizes the psychological toll of confinement and control. Gilman advocates for women’s right to self-expression and autonomy through the narrator’s experience, and the story’s setting, point of view, and symbols all add to the overall message. Gilman’s writing might be regarded as a critique of the late nineteenth century’s restrictive cultural and medical conventions. The narrative exemplifies the harm that may be done by neglecting women’s health concerns and denying them the right to meaningful employment and self-expression. Gilman’s work was meant to serve as a wake-up call to society, challenging patriarchal conventions and emphasizing reform. It is still essential today as the fight for women’s rights and equality continues. The narrative serves as a reminder of the need to hear women’s voices and validate their experiences. It impacts readers and emphasizes the importance of listening to and amplifying the opinions of underrepresented groups.
Works Cited
Krome, Lesly R. “Changing Role Expectations for Women in Modern Society.” Academia Letters, 2021, pp. 45–73. Web.
Prüller-Jagenteufel Gunter, et al. Towards Just Gender Relations: Rethinking the Role of Women in Church and Society. V & R Unipress, 2019, p.319.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. 1892, p. 24, Web.
Redemann, Janine. “Strengthening the Role of Women in Ecclesiastical Decision-Making Processes.” Towards Just Gender Relations, 2019, pp. 277–282., Web.