The Yellow Wallpaper - Gilman

Author Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” which is seen to

use very important ways of narration. The message that Charlotte wanted to create depended on

how she narrated the characters. Charlotte uses first person which is seen through the story to

help reader’s create a perspective of the relationships the main character has with her friends and

family, as well as to see how the main character’s mind is working. Specifically, the main

character says phrases like:

“John is a physician, and PERHAPS--(I would not say it to a living soul, of

course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)--PERHAPS that is one

reason I do not get well faster” (p.1).

This sentence is one of many sentences that show the narration in first person. It is clear

that the story is from an individual’s perspective, and it helps to show what that character

believes about the people around her. The narration is also very exaggerated, which shows the

characteristics of the main character. The character believes that she is not sick while her

husband, who is a physician, believes otherwise. The character expresses how she feels towards

her husband, which can invoke ideas for the reader’s. For instance, the readers are more likely to

side with the main character than the husband which author’s use to create suspense when the

ending is revealed. In this story it is revealed that the main character is indeed sick, with a

suspenseful way of doing so. The character is seen through the narration to play into this mental

health issue with the language that is used. Charlotte uses this with her character when she says

“I've got a rope up here that even Jennie did not find. If that woman does get out, and tries to get

away, I can tie her” (p.13). In this sentence, the character refers to the woman in her wallpaper.

In her mind, she believes that there is a woman in the wallpaper and the more she looks at it, the
more she thinks the woman is real and trying to escape. Through this narration readers can see

that the character is going mad, and it is a really interesting way to understand the mental health

issue that the character faces. At first glance, when reading the first few pages, it can be assumed

that the character is normal because the narration is sarcastic and opinionated. The narration seen

in the first quote shows that the character has strong opinions, and believes her perspective but

listens to her husband; while in the second quote, there is a glimpse into the character’s mind and

how she thinks. Narration overall is used throughout this story, and in different ways to show the

opinion of the main character, as well as how the progression of her sickness develops the more

the story continues.