Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a story of tragedy: the tragedy of the narrator’s insanity, the tragedy of a husband’s failure to save his wife, and the tragedy of the social inequality that prevented a sick woman from receiving the care that she needed. Using a Gothic framework and chillingly authentic narration, Gilman explores not only the mind of the mentally ill, but also the role of the traditional subservient woman in relation to her male guardians.
From the very first paragraph, the reader is signaled that there is something strange and unnaturally eerie about the house in which the narrator and her husband, John, are staying. Gilman, through the narrator’s descriptions, uses customary Gothic elements to evoke a sinister and ominous mood. John and his wife are dwelling in an isolated mansion with a murky history of feuds that has been uninhabited for years. The greenhouses are all broken, (425) there are bars on the windows, (426) the floors are scratched and gouged, (427) the plaster has been scraped away from the wall, and of course, there is the wallpaper. The narrator immediately fixates on the wallpaper, noting its “smoldering unclean yellow” color, (426) and its sickly scent – a smell that “creeps” about the house, “hovers,” “skulks,” “hides,” “follows,” and “lies in wait” for the narrator (432). These repeated details convince the reader that there is something terrible yet to happen, even as they reflect the troubled state of the narrator’s mind.
Yet the power of the story lies not only in the narrator’s disturbing insanity, but in the obvious fact that her husband, and even brother, could have prevented it. It is the narrator who presents all of the disturbing details to the reader. She knows that something is wrong, but her husband, the “physician of high standing,” (425) will not admit that she is sick. He tells her to gets lots of bed-rest and to avoid stimulating activities, but he never actually attempts to treat her mental problems. John is a man of science who “has no patience with faith, [and] an intense horror of superstition,” (425) and he attempts to treat her “nervous depression” with only tonics and cod liver oil. She tells him repeatedly that something is wrong with her, but he only scolds her and warns her not to speak of her non-physical problems. In her desperation, she overcomes her desire not to contradict her husband’s rulings, and makes one final attempt to seek his help. At the first mention of a non-physical malady, John delivers such a glare that his wife is unable to finish her sentence. John’s incensed rebuff actually alienates his wife, adding to the destabilization of her mental state. Rather than acknowledge the mere possibility of an intangible disease, John continues to put his head under the sand, allowing his wife’s condition to deteriorate further. His ignorance, stubbornness, and blatant sexism leave his wife susceptible to insanity.
John fails in his duty to his wife, but the narrator also neglects to speak up for herself. She is trapped by her husband’s influence and is simply too timid to overcome it. As the standards of the time dictated, she subjects herself to the authority of her husband. As a doctor and the man of the house, John controls the life she lives. He speaks for her, tells her what she should and should not think, and warns her never to lose her self control. He chooses the bedroom they will stay in, refuses to change the wallpaper, and tells her not to give in to her “nervous weakness” of imagination (427). Despite the narrator’s mental instability, this “nervous weakness,” is clearly a reference to her gender. After all, John refuses to recognize her true disease. Yet, through all of this, the narrator meekly accepts his commands, asking only “What is one to do?” She even confesses to the reader that “he does not believe I am sick” and perhaps “that is one reason I do not get well faster” (424), but out of a desire to obey her husband, never gets the care she needs. Of course, Gilman intentionally contrived this situation to support her politics, but the narrator’s situation is a compelling one, and the reader is left wondering “what if” she had gotten the care she so urgently needed.
(731).
Questions:
1)At what specific point in the story does it become apparent that the narrator is delusional?
2)Is John to blame for his wife’s deterioration, or is he just a well-meaning husband?
3)How do the descriptions of the wallpaper reflect the narrator’s own thoughts?
4)What is the effect of the last six lines? How did you react to the revelation that the narrator created the smooch in the wall?
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2 comments:
I thought you did a great job with this paper! It was really interesting how you wrote about the feminist undertones of the short story. I especially liked some of your descriptions, like when you said that John "put his head under the sand" and when you described that the mansion had a "murky history of fueds". You also used quotes quite effectively. The one bit of advice I could give, is to maybe use a couple more examples of John's sexism and neglect. Good job!
Fantastic job Mark! This paper is not only informative, but also enjoyable to read! Not to repeat what Alex has already said, but it is easy to tell that you put in a large amount of effort through your use of language and analysis throughout the paper and it does not leave much room for improvement (nor does it need any). The only thing i can think of is to perhaps tie in your examples that you already have in the third paragraph to show the husband's neglect to your idea of his sexism as well. Also, this is more of an idea than a critique, since you bring up the idea of the author's politics in your closing statements, you may want to elaborate or push that statement further.
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