The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is regarded as an important work of American Feminist literature as it explores the attitudes towards women’s mental and physical health in the 19th century. The short story is fictional yet can be considered semi-autobiographical as it was written after Gilman experienced severe post-partum depression. In this passage, Gilman touches on ideas about the underlying strength of women which is ultimately dominated by men’s psychological abuse towards women. Gilman also covers aspects of gothic literature in her work. Key themes of isolation and insanity are prevalent in Gilman’s work.
As well as being an important work in feminist literature, The Yellow Wallpaper also includes features that are typically found in the Gothic genre. This is evident through key themes of isolation, madness, and gloomy settings which are all central aspects of gothic literature. The narrator’s isolation is reinforced through the first-person journal entry, although this allows readers to gain a deeper insight into the narrator’s experiences, it prevents a response from other characters and emphasizes the fact that she is speaking/writing to none but herself. There is dialogue in the passage other than the questions that she asks herself: “And what can one do?” and “But what is one to do?”. This highlights her isolation further and also draws on the gothic feature, of madness/insanity. She asks herself these questions perhaps because she is unsure about what to do in her situation, her thought process becomes increasingly damaged and the secluded environment she is in has perhaps contributed to her mental deterioration.
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The description of the narrator’s environment also draws connections with gothic literature. The second line of the passage says “A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate… a haunted house”, all of which are typical settings in gothic work. The narrator noticed something “queer” about the house and asks rational questions, which suggests that she was in her senses and was more aware of her environment at the start of the passage. This contrasts with the questions she asks later on in the passage, the transition in her thought processes acts as a portrayal of her mental deterioration throughout the poem which has been caused by isolation, psychological abuse from her husband, and arguably, the environment in which she describes. The in-depth description of her room further suggests that it has contributed to the decline in her well-being. “It is a big, airy room” – the word ‘airy’ gives a sense of emptiness and eeriness. She describes it as “air and sunshine galore”, however, this is contrasted with the fact that “windows are barred for little children”. The room being an empty, airy space may be symbolic of her freedom being an illusion. The barred windows may be a literal representation of the restrictions that her husband has placed upon her.
After questioning the nature of the house: “And why have stood so long untenanted?”, the narrator quickly dismisses the possible answers to these questions and moves on to talk about her husband. “John laughs at me…”. “John is practical…” “John is a physician…”. The repetition of ‘John’ places great emphasis on his character and creates a sense of hypnotism, which further accentuates the control her husband has over her. The narrator sees nothing wrong with the fact that her husband ‘laughs at her’, as it is something one ‘expects in marriage’. Gilman may be attempting to expose the stereotypical expectations and attitudes toward marriage through her work. To claim that a woman should accept and expect to be laughed at by her husband suggests that perhaps men were not serious about their marriages. Laughing at others is often considered a form of humiliation which seems to be passively accepted in this passage. This further highlights the control in which her husband has over her.
Furthermore, Gilman uses other literary strategies such as shape, pace, and rhythm to present deeper meanings through her work. The short, simple sentences throughout the poem give the narrator a child-like nature, for example, “There were greenhouses too, but they are all broken now” – this language resonates with children’s stories. This child-like characteristic highlights the narrator’s vulnerability. Perhaps Gilman intended for the couple to take the ‘nursery at the top of the house’ – to place her in the nursery room accentuates her child-like quality. “I have a schedule prescription for each hour of the day; he takes all care of me”. The immense amount of time and effort that her husband is putting into her care has perhaps made the narrator overlook the way it is affecting her health. Her vulnerable state has made her an easy target for manipulation, she believes he ‘takes all care of’ her. However, she is also aware that perhaps him being a physician ‘is one reason she does not get well faster’. Her awareness of this indicates that she knows he is not beneficial to her health yet still chooses to dismiss the matter, reinforcing the idea that women can be easily manipulated, which ultimately highlights the strength of men and the weakness of women. Furthermore, “for each hour in the day” creates an image of surveillance – she is under his authority at all times. It is clear that Gilman is portraying male domination and female submission through this passage. The variation of long and short sentences allows the pace to change throughout the passage. The line breaks after the shorter sentences make the narrator seem jumpy and on edge. “You see he does not believe that I am sick! And what can one do?” Perhaps this is attempting to parallel her mental condition. The longer sentences sound as though the narrator is more relaxed and slows down the pace of the passage. Perhaps Gilman’s intentions were to highlight the confusion of the narrator’s feelings.
“If a physician of high standing… assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency”. The narrator describes her husband’s occupation as ‘high standing’ – this portrays a hierarchy in which her husband is literally higher than her, underlining his higher place in society. Words such as ‘nothing’, ‘temporary’, and ‘slight’ place less importance on the narrator’s mental health condition as though it is nothing concerning. Here, Gilman may have been presenting the attitudes towards women’s and physical health in the 19th century. The narrator herself believes she is ‘sick’ and we see throughout the passage that she is more than capable of thinking for herself. “Personally, I disagree with their ideas”, “Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good”. The fact that she is giving her own personal opinions on the matter may be Gilman’s way of showing that women do in fact have a voice of their own, it just goes unheard over the voice of men. Despite not being a physician herself, she understands that it is ‘excitement and change’ that would make her feel better. The woman’s ability to think for herself is overtaken by the fact that John says it is “the very worst thing” she can do. It allows readers to question why the opinions of a man hold greater significance than that of a woman. Therefore, in this passage, we see that women do in fact, have a voice and opinion of their own, but perhaps due to deeply ingrained stereotypes and expectations, women may be afraid to challenge the ideas of men.
Overall, beyond the surface of Gilman’s work, it is clear that she is covering deeper, more controversial issues than a woman looking at yellow wallpaper. This passage and the rest of the story can be interpreted to be empowering for women as the narrator attempts to speak up for herself and talk about her experiences. However, it can also be said to represent the control and authority that men hold over women and emphasize the weaknesses of women.
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