The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Book Report/Review Example

The Yellow Wallpaper analysis Introduction Charlotte Perkins Gilman employs her personal encounter with postpartum depression in order to create a great fictional narrative that has broad implications for women in general. The narrator indicates that there exist more than just one trapped creeping women as she seeks to address an issue that affects many people across the globe. In writing The Yellow Wallpaper, author seeks to address misogynistic principles as well as sexual politics that surrounds the form of treatment in which she is subjected to. The story is told by an anonymous female narrator whose husband a physician is named John, are out for a summer holiday. They two have rented a mansion for their summer vacation which the narrator admits to be very beautiful and she considers herself lucky to be in it during summer. John does not believe that the narrator is sick and believes that her condition can be improved through enough rest without any medical treatment. However, he offers her some drugs and medicines to assist in her recovery. She does not agree with the part of treatment that hinders her from taking part in any activity such as writing. She believes that her condition will improve if allowed to take part in active activities and some company which her husband does not agree with. In-depth analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper The structure of the story is one that creates a deep sense of intimacy and immediacy as it is written in first-person narration that incorporates a number of entries. Is has been written in a journal style format with several entries with each of the entry indicating the different steps and initiatives that were taken by John to treat his wife. This also indicates the poor state of mind of the narrator as the as the paragraphs are disjointed and fragmented. As one reads from the beginning to the end, they are able to develop an intimate view of the deteriorating state of the mental condition of the narrator. The narrator becomes deeply obsessed as she begins to crawl just like the woman behind the paper thus making a groove on the walls. She begins to peel off the wallpaper in an effort to free the woman in her who has been trapped in the second layer. She at times appears to be normal to John and his sister owing to the fact that she saves most of her energy for the night. The hidden truth is that the normality that she exhibits is merely a façade. One outstanding style in The Yellow Wallpaper is the use of first-person and the present-tense narration. This enables the readers to view things as the narrator sees them. It further offers a deeper sense of emotional touch and connection between the readers and the narrator. The gradual loose of mind by the narrator is another aspect of style that is evident in the story. In the beginning, she is able to offer a logical description of her surrounding. In the next steps, she struggles to have a rational talk with her husband but in the process she breaks down into tears and ends up pleading and crying for a long period of time (Madsen, 67). As the story nears the end, she is deeply convinced that the wallpaper is in transition and the woman trapped inside is moving towards her freedom. The story continues to be more secretive as well as urgent as her delusions increases. The title, The Yellow Wallpaper, is made relevant by the narrator as she attributes it to a text that she must interpret as it is a symbol of something that affects her directly. This symbolism is revealed throughout the story as the narrator attains to unravel the mystery behind the wallpaper. The wallpaper is a depiction of the family structure, form of medicine and tradition in which the narrator is deeply trapped into. It has been used as means of demonstrating the various forms of struggles and discrimination that women faces all over the world. The wallpaper is depicted as a woman’s hiding place and where she receives comfort and understanding that other people can never understand which is evident when she the narrator says, "There are things in that wallpaper that nobody knows about but me, or ever will (Gilman, 241)." The moonlight in the story is a symbol of the convenient time for feminine activities. The narrator says that during the day, the women are deeply trapped in the wallpaper that is motionless as well as immobile while in the moonlight, the women begins to creep and make their movements in the land. The narrator sleeps during the day and only wakes up during the night to do her writing and other intellectual activities. The narrator’s life demonstrates a paradox in the sense that she losses touch with the surrounded environment as she gains a deeper understanding of her inner life. This paradoxical life helps the readers to understand the kind of suffering that the narrator undergoes. She is a very imaginative person who knows to express herself through her writings. She identifies herself with the woman who has been trapped behind the wallpaper who is forced to creep and hide from the realities that are surrounding her. She attains her freed when in a state that no one can understand her. John is the husband of the narrator who seems to know the right cure for her condition but according to the narrator, he has it all wrong. He shows less concern for her opinions and reasoning and instead forces her to undergo what he thinks is best form of treatment for her. He combined the two roles of being the husband and a personal doctor to the narrator which complicates his role since he is unable to strike a balance between the two personalities and as a result ends up being misunderstood. He is unable to understand his wife who is very imaginative and gifted. He is very ignorant of the needs and concerns of his wife hence unable to help her but destroy her instead. Gender inequality is one of the major themes in the story. The unequal relationship that is made evident between the narrator and her husband is a demonstration of the larger gender inequality that exist in the current society. According to Gilman, it is very clear that more of the narrator’s husband’s paternal behavior in relation to how he treats her is not just about her illness but more to do with her gender as a woman who need guidance from their male counterparts. He dismisses everything she says and belittles her creativity which is evident through her writings. He makes reference to her just as he would have made to a little child. This is evident when he calls her, “little girl (Gilman, 240)” and other expressions such as “bless her little heart (Gilman, 244)” He turns down anything that she seeks to address, forces her to undergo through a form of treatment that she does not like and making her to live in a house that she initially didn’t approve of. The theme of freedom and confinement is made evident in the story by the fact that the narrator is confined as she begins to lose her sanity. She slowly descends into madness bit by bit as the story progresses from one stage to another. The readers must be in a position to deduce the fact that the narrator is deeply trapped in the wallpaper and is unable to free herself. She admits to the belief that she is slowly losing her senses and imagination. Conclusion The strict first-person narration in the story enables the readers to focus solely on the thoughts and feelings of the narrator and her perceptions. All the readers are able to learn or perceive in the story is in line with the personal viewpoint of the narrator. She is in constant state of anxiety throughout the story with elements of sarcasm, depression and anger which serves to present the tone in the story. Work Cited Gilman, Charlotte P, and Dale M. Bauer. The Yellow Wallpaper. Boston: Bedford Books, 1998. Print. Madsen, Deborah L. Feminist Theory and Literary Practice. London: Pluto, 2000. Print. Read More