Abstract
The Yellow Paper by Charlotte P. Gilman provides an insightful perspective into postpartum depression. As everyone in the city suspects the protagonist has a terminal sickness, the protagonist as well as her husband, who is her doctor and behind her medical misdiagnosis, leave and go back for the countryside. The peeling yellow wallpaper as well as rusty hooks as well as straps create the atmosphere of a long-abandoned mental hospital. The woman’s use of monotonous yellow wallpaper is a red flag that she might be mentally ill. She initially dislikes the paper, but eventually grows to appreciate it. After then, it becomes her only focus. As time passes, she becomes aware of a human form hidden in the folds of the paper. This preoccupation causes her to miss out on an experience that will change her life forever: becoming a mother. There is an underlying suggestion that she suffers from a mental disorder, specifically postpartum depression. Her spouse is among many who believe the issue will go away if they simply stop bothering her. Eventually she manages to free herself from the medical misdiagnosis brought about by her husband and this acts as a symbol of freedom and a representation of the mental prisons that most of the women in marriages are in due to their husbands.
Introduction
In The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the protagonist is a lady who appears to be insane. Their story is demonstrated to be a journal describing the daily challenges of women with mental illness, and John, the woman’s husband, is portrayed as the doctor. In “Yellow Paper,” the author used a variety of literary devices to clearly depict the struggles that women of the time period faced. This essay intends to serve as a thorough analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” with a particular focus on the medical misdiagnosis and its relationship to the story’s larger theme and the specific literary devices used by Gilman.
In Charlotte Gilman’s The Yellow Wall-Paper, a depressed woman tells her experience through a series of autobiographical flashbacks. John, her doctor husband, falsely diagnoses her with hysteria as well as prescribes bed rest as treatment. The narrator, however, is nervous and uncomfortable about the seriousness of her illness. Staying in bed to rest can help her feel better as instructed by her husband. Her spouse has her imprisoned in a room that was once a nursery. Given her current condition, he recommends she do nothing but sit in the room and relax. It is also evident that she is not permitted to write, despite the fact that doing so is therapeutic for her. The previous nursery included a sheet of yellow paper with patterns that the storyteller did not seem to identify. Her husband feels the peace as well as silence of their bedroom will help her get well. From the story, her husband will not at any time agree to take down the yellow wallpaper (Perkins Gilman, 2022).
The narrator keeps a diary as a self-help tool. They all live in the same house; Jennie, the sister of her husband, and the baby sitter. Keeping the home in order is a huge responsibility, and Jennie handles it very well and effectively. Subsequently, the narrator’s health deteriorates to the point where she can no longer write. As her anxiety continues to rise, she begins to have hallucinations about the yellow wallpaper. She examines the wall covering and notices unfamiliar patterns. She only sees human eyes as well as slashed necks in the patterns. The more she thinks about the wallpaper, the deeper she falls into despair. In the course of a few more days, she starts to make some connections and recognize the patterns. When the moon finally rises, she realizes that the patterns stand for a trapped woman. She removes the wallpaper and frees the lady. John arrives to take her home but sees that she has gone wild before he can even pick her up, and he passes out (Watson & Moreton, 2021).
The storyteller’s dilemma is a good example of the challenges that women, and especially wives, endure in the society. As a female, the narrator’s husband has entire control over her. He incorrectly diagnoses the problem and then locks her in the nursery. She wants to change rooms, but she will let John make the final decision before she can make her own decision. His wife has made it clear that she does not want to relax in the room, however he has decided that it is the most appropriate place for her to do so. This story paints a vivid picture of the discrimination women faced in that era. Although the narrator recognizes that John’s decision is less than ideal, she feels bound to honor it in the sake of their marriage. In addition, she must stop writing in her journal immediately. The essay was written by Gilman to show how marriage stifles a person’s ability to think for themselves and develop their mind (Perkins, 2017).
The narrator’s hallucinations about the woman who was hiding behind the yellow wallpaper are likely to be true for many wives. She gazes at the wallpaper for a while and eventually makes the connection that the patterns represent the woman who is being held captive behind the bars. The bars are a metaphor for the limitations she confronts in her role as a wife. She wants to rip the wallpaper off the wall and set the woman free with all her might. In the end, she is successful in removing the wallpaper and rescuing the trapped woman. Gilman, in her role as the story’s narrator, utilizes the action of removing wallpaper to symbolize the main character’s need to be free from her violent spouse (Tabla et al., 2022).
The author also employs Jennie as a metaphor for the typical housewife throughout the story. Jennie is in charge of everything that goes on in the house, even the cooking. The narrator is impressed with her ability to keep the house clean. According to Gilman, a wife’s social function is limited to performing home responsibilities. In all honesty, this is the most that a woman is capable of doing. In addition, John instructs her to maintain a vigilant watch on the narrator. Despite the fact that she is aware that the narrator’s current living arrangements are not optimal for her recovery, she continues to adhere to John’s suggestions. The narrator pays a high price when she loses her mind as a result of her unwavering loyalty (Gilman, 2023). This story is a good compliment to the daily life of women since it demonstrates, on a fundamental level, how patriarchal systems keep women in subservient roles. The challenges that the women go through in the novel are the primary emphasis, much like they are in the society, until they hit their breaking point and begin to fight for their rights (Watson & Moreton, 2021).
The story by Gilman might be interpreted as a metaphor for the position of women in contemporary culture. The three women that live in this residence are all subjected to poor and abusive treatment. Nobody has the fortitude to oppose persecution from the start. The loneliness of the narrator plays a significant role in the mental collapse that she experiences. Even though it is too late to alter her fate at this point, she managed to get away. Gilman wants to drive home to the prepared and the deadly implications of not standing up to tyranny. The author wants the reader to come to the realization that they themselves are capable of being their own fiercest champions. The author’s ultimate goal is to show that blind faith serves no purpose (Tabla et al., 2022).
On the topic of the perils that can result from an incorrect diagnosis, the author presents an original point of view. Even though it is clear that the narrator is in a great deal of pain, the narrator’s physician, John, diagnoses her with hysteria as well as suggests an even more terrible treatment. Gilman’s writing is done with the intention of enlightening her readers about the torment that might result from a mental disease that has been incorrectly diagnosed (Carman, 2022).
