The Yellow Wallpaper Symbolism Essay

Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” to showcase the sad reality of how men treated women in the late nineteenth century. The reader is introduced to the narrator, Jane, and her husband, John. The narrator battles with depression, but her husband does not think much of the illness. While staying at their summer home, John picks a room for them both to stay, and his choice makes the narrator feel uneasy. John restricts Jane to stay in that one room because he believes she needs to get rest to get better. While in this room, she becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper. As the story progresses, John believes his treatment works, but in actuality it has the opposite effect on Jane. Finally, the narrator goes insane and starts to rip the wallpaper off and she starts creeping around the room, and as John opens up the door and sees his wife creeping around he faints. …show more content…
The walls/wallpaper in the room Jane stays in symbolizes a barrier. John puts up a barrier for Jane keeping her in a position which he believes she can handle. Women at this had to overcome barriers like not being able to vote watch prevented them from growth as a gender. The narrator says, “This great immovable bed -it is nailed down” (Gilman 472). The bed Jane sleeps in symbolizes finalized marriage. Jane has no option when it comes to her marital status because of her condition, thus leaving her trapped in a marriage she may not want. Women during the late nineteenth century had little to no choice; even if they wanted to leave their husband it was not respected. The narrator sees a lot of creeping women, which makes her say “I don’t like to look out the window” (Gilman 478). The window Jane looks out of symbolizes lack of freedom. The life that the Jane wants to live cannot be achieved because of the restriction placed on her. The lack of freedom that women face in society hinders them in making advancements that would better their