Exploring and Exposing the Patriarchal Contribution to Mental Illness in “The Yellow Wallpaper”
The 19th century was inarguably a difficult time for women in a multitude of aspects; perhaps none more so than in the areas of mental health and familial relations. Women were subjugated to the desires and authority of the male patriarchy in all areas of life.
Literature of the time often failed to focus on the plight of women and ignored the unique voice they brought to literary landscape. One author in particular broke through the male dominated publishing industry and shared a tale of a terrifying descent into the mad recesses of the mind though the tale didn 't receive the acclaim it was due until many years later.
In writing The Yellow Wallpaper, …show more content…
The relationship portrayed in the story was one of dominance and control. John, was the be all end all in the household and as her physician, had even more control over what she did. He knew best, what he said was the final authority in the household and encompassed all areas of the narrator 's life and she was not permitted to question either her diagnosis or her treatment. On the few occasions the narrator made attempts to be involved in her own treatment she was brushed off like a child and deemed unable to understand the intricacies of her condition. There was a complete male dominance grossly apparent throughout the work. As the narrator is secretly writing within her journal, she makes note of the myriad ways in which is not permitted a sense of self or autonomy. There is multiple repetition of the phrase, “what is one to do” (Gilman 648) that highlights the narrator 's sense of helplessness. She often notes that she must be “sly” and that she cannot let anyone find her writing, …show more content…
Author, Rula Quawas, takes a differing view. In her paper, A New Woman 's Journey into Insanity: Descent and Return in The Yellow Wallpaper, she argues that the narrator is not further descending into the throes of mental illness but is, instead, breaking the shackles of male dominance. She states, “In Spite of her oppression, she achieves a superior sanity and at least a relative liberty in the assertion of a self. In fact, she is the embodiment of the New Woman who is in the process of becoming, struggling to assert her individuality and construct her own identity...Her developing awareness of her stifling plight and her capacity to raise questions and explore answers are emphasized as unique to the creation and birth of a new, authentic
The 19th century was inarguably a difficult time for women in a multitude of aspects; perhaps none more so than in the areas of mental health and familial relations. Women were subjugated to the desires and authority of the male patriarchy in all areas of life.
Literature of the time often failed to focus on the plight of women and ignored the unique voice they brought to literary landscape. One author in particular broke through the male dominated publishing industry and shared a tale of a terrifying descent into the mad recesses of the mind though the tale didn 't receive the acclaim it was due until many years later.
In writing The Yellow Wallpaper, …show more content…
The relationship portrayed in the story was one of dominance and control. John, was the be all end all in the household and as her physician, had even more control over what she did. He knew best, what he said was the final authority in the household and encompassed all areas of the narrator 's life and she was not permitted to question either her diagnosis or her treatment. On the few occasions the narrator made attempts to be involved in her own treatment she was brushed off like a child and deemed unable to understand the intricacies of her condition. There was a complete male dominance grossly apparent throughout the work. As the narrator is secretly writing within her journal, she makes note of the myriad ways in which is not permitted a sense of self or autonomy. There is multiple repetition of the phrase, “what is one to do” (Gilman 648) that highlights the narrator 's sense of helplessness. She often notes that she must be “sly” and that she cannot let anyone find her writing, …show more content…
Author, Rula Quawas, takes a differing view. In her paper, A New Woman 's Journey into Insanity: Descent and Return in The Yellow Wallpaper, she argues that the narrator is not further descending into the throes of mental illness but is, instead, breaking the shackles of male dominance. She states, “In Spite of her oppression, she achieves a superior sanity and at least a relative liberty in the assertion of a self. In fact, she is the embodiment of the New Woman who is in the process of becoming, struggling to assert her individuality and construct her own identity...Her developing awareness of her stifling plight and her capacity to raise questions and explore answers are emphasized as unique to the creation and birth of a new, authentic