The Yellow Wallpaper

Poetry Ken Savitri 11 D Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a feminist, American author, lecturer, and a social reformer wrote the story The Yellow Wallpaper. First published on January 1892, it tells a story about a woman writer Jane the narrator who becomes ill because of her husband Johns medical abuse. As a result she develops two personalities. The story is written from the first person point-of-view as a series of her journal entries. This essay will explore the relation between the characters and gender. The man of the house, John, the physician is the one who holds the power to do everything in the house. He is considered to be the most important person in the house hold; he is a typical husband who likes to control his wife. He is a father of one child. He is accustomed to the traditional style where women should be under mens orders. He is the one who bans Jane from writing. He often shows are that he rarely believes his wife, he likes to give orders to his wife, and that he is very ignorance. The fact that he doesnt believe his wife was shown when the narrator said You see he does not believe that Im sick (p. 1). His possessiveness towards his wife was seen when the narrator said he is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction. (p. 2). His ignorance was shown when the narrator said John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him. (p. 2) He is very ignorant, and that he only sees the outer pattern but misses the trapped, struggling woman inside.1

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Acting as the narrator and Johns wife, Jane is one of the main characters of this story. Jane is a very loving and accepting wife, she always thinks positive towards what John did to her. She
sinks into a deeper depression invisible to her husband, John, who believes he knows what is best for her.2 But she is always pessimistic about herself. But she had no good and no

healthy relationship with her husband. In the beginning of the story, Jane tells us about the house that John just bought for 3 months. But her feeling towards the house can be known through The furniture in this room is no
worse than inharmonious however, i suppose when this was used as a playroom they had to take the nursery things out. (p.3)

Her pessimistic was shown when she said I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already! (p. 3). She is a writer living under her husbands pressure. She is a loving and caring wife but she always think that what she is doing is always wrong. John does not allow her to get out of her room and after that, she start to imagine things. The moment she starts imagining things is when There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare you upside down. (p. 3) The Narrator is always frustrated about her husband and the house itself. She really wished that her husband could understand her feeling in the house. She is a paradox: as she loses touch with the outer world, she comes to a greater understanding of the inner reality of her life.3 She imagines things from the wallpaper. The Narrator herself and Jane is the same person. But the Narrator hates her husband and Jane. Shes always frustrated all the time. She always felt lonely because she is stuck in her bedroom. She starts to hallucinate about the wallpaper inside of the room. Her husband is driving her crazy because he always gives her drugs.
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The narrator is afraid to go to bed. Shes afraid because Johns sleeping next to her, on the same bed as herself. She didnt get enough sleep, and she was staring at the moon. This phrase shows her hatred to the moon The moon shines in all around just as the sun does. I hate to see it sometimes; it creeps me so slowly, and always comes in by one window or another (p. 1). She is always depressed and uncomfortable about herself. She is considered to be the mad woman in the attic but she dont want to accept it. She thinks that it all comes from John. The mansion they are staying at is creepy and somehow weird. The house they are renting for 3 months felt creepy for Jane or the Narrator. She tells that to John but he didnt want to decorate the house. Jane feel there is something wrong and weird with the house. John bought the house for the summer because he thought that his wife suffer from a disease called the temporary nervous depression- a slight hysterical tendency which considered being a common disease at that time. The furniture in this room is no worse than inharmonious however, i suppose when this was used as a playroom they had to take the nursery things out. (p. 3) shows a slight disgust from the narrator to the house. The nursery is itself a symbol of the narrators oppression as a constant reminder of her duty to clean the house and take care of the children 4. She starts imagining things on her bedroom and she thought that she saw a woman behind the bars of the wallpapers. She also starts to wonder whether the front pattern and the back pattern of the wallpaper moves together or not. There is one woman who John considers as the Narrators baby sitter, it is his sister, Jennie. "There comes John's sister ... She is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession. I verily believe she thinks it is the writing which made me sick!" (p. 4). Also, this one
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event is the part when the Narrator or Jane starts to hallucinate. There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare you upside down. (p. 3) the Narrator said. She starts to have hallucination and didnt really know about it. She really wants to know the truth because her mind is craving for the knowledge.