The Yellow Wall-Paper - 1302 Words

In the â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper,† the author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, writes about a struggling mentally ill woman, named Jane, trying to work through her individuality and her own depression. This story is centered around her bedroom, her mental state, and the yellow wall-paper on the walls in her room. The reader can easily feel the pain, anguish, despair, and struggles of a woman going through a depressive state. Gilman writes about the individual succession of the woman’s mental state through the disarray of the patterned yellow wall-paper. The theme of feminism is exposed by the main characters use of language, her feelings of inferiority, mental struggles, and anger. The language of the narrator in this story is repressive to†¦show more content†¦As Jane’s feelings of inferiority are expressed throughout the story, she still tries to escape her depression while locked in her bedroom. She is struggling against the constraints of her controlling husband, who just babies her, but ignores her because he thinks he knows what is medically best for her. Jane recognizes that John meant to repaper the bedroom, but once again he dismissed her request to change the wall-paper by stating, â€Å" that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies† (Gilman 810). Her husband’s consistent reminders of being superior to her make her feel inferior to him. Throughout the story John holds the power of being the doctor who knows what is best for his wife. Susan S. Lanser indicates in her article â€Å"Feminist Criticism, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† and the â€Å"Politics of Color in America,† that Jane’s feelings of intimidation come from â€Å"the phrase ‘John says’,† which â€Å"heads a litany of ‘benevolent’ prescriptions that keep the narrator infantilized, immobilized, and bored literally out of her mind† (418). Jane’s feelings of inferiority are enhanced by her sister-in-law’s ability to â€Å"work.† She is jealous and envious of Jennie. Jennie is allowed to be a caretaker, hasShow MoreRelated The Yellow Wall-Paper919 Words   |  4 Pages Falling from the Shoulders of Giants: The Yellow Wall-Paper as a Classic Example of the Dangers of Human Arrogance Progressive dementia is the process by which an individual gradually losses their intellectual capacity and personality integration. In quot;The Yellow Wall-Paper,quot; Gilman captures the essence of the journey to madness via her use of first person narration. The relationship between Jane, the narrator of the story, and her husband John provokes an uneasy curiosity in the readerRead More The Yellow Wall Paper714 Words   |  3 Pagessurroundings. In the stories â€Å"Araby† by James Joyce and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charolotte Gilman there are examples of their immediate surroundings taking affect in there writings. In most cases a person becomes what there surroundings are because that was the way they were raised. A person’s family, friends, neighborhood and every day things will shape and mold ones morals and character. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† the narrator is also the author. Charolotte GilmanRead MoreAnalysis Of The Yellow Wall Paper1699 Words   |  7 Pagespublished poems and short stories. One of her most famous works, â€Å"The Yellow Wall Paper† was written during a time of great change, in the early to mid-nineteenth century, when women were gaining more freedom politically, artistically and individually. 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Although there is such a large gap in the time periods of the two short stories, with â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† being written in 1892 and â€Å"Barn Burning† being written in 1939, there are prevalent similarities on how these timeRead MoreSocietys Sexism in the Yellow Wall-Paper1109 Words   |  5 PagesSigns of societys sexism in The Yellow Wall-Paper The Yellow Wallpaper is a story, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Although the work is short, it is one of the most interesting works in existence. Gilman uses literary techniques very well. The symbolism of The Yellow Wall-Paper, can be seen and employed after some thought and make sense immediately. The views and ideals of society are often found in literary works. Whether the author is trying to show the ills of society of merely telling aRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper ( Postpartum Depression )910 Words   |  4 PagesThe yellow wall paper was written in the 1800’s during that time women were vastly expected to serve their husband as housewives, not given the right to vote, make decision for themselves, work and even make enough money to support themselves. The husband is a doctor, while the wife suffers from severe mental illness. This is a husband who loves his wife and taught he was doing what was right to get her in a stable condition but unfortunately he made her be come crazier, due to lack of stimulationRead MoreDeconstructive Analysis: The Yellow Wall Paper1357 Words   |  6 PagesDeconstructive Analysis: The Yellow Wall Paper Deconstruction or poststructuralist is a type of literary criticism that took its roots in the 1960’s. Jacques Derrida gave birth to the theory when he set out to demonstrate that all language is associated with mental images that we produce due to previous experiences. This system of literary scrutiny interprets meaning as effects from variances between words rather than their indication to the things they represent. This philosophical theory strives