There is an old Latin proverb, “agrestic medendo”, known in English as “the cure is worse than the disease”. In the short story entitled “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, this proverb is fitting as the reader must witness as isolation incites to insanity. Written in first-person and stylized as an excerpt from a diary or journal, an unknown narrator secretly leads us on a twelve entry process of liberation over the course of three months while living in a rented colonial mansion estate (Perkins Gilman 340). Despite the disbelief that she is sick by her brother and husband--both physicians--and reassurance that she simply needs not to work and only take care of her domestic responsibilities, the narrator toils with what might be assumed is postpartum depression following the birth of a child (340,342). The narrator naively reveals the control that her husband has over her, even dictating where she must
…show more content…
She begins seeing the woman not only in the paper, but “creeping” throughout the property, and she resolves to destroy the wallpaper and catch the woman, if necessary. In the end, the wallpaper is destroyed, and the trapped woman is revealed to be the narrator herself as she exclaims, “I’ve got out at last…in spite of you…you can’t put me back” (351). The primary central idea of this story is that the remedy may exacerbate the ailment when the remedy is disregard. Although early on it is stated that she feels “it is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship”, the narrator’s husband insists she remain alone, furthering her retreat from sanity (342). Whether her writings and delusions about the wallpaper were her attempt to cling to reality or proof that she had lost her mind, the secondary central idea of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a lack of stimulation and severe isolation may have negative effects on the mind. The narrator’s mental health appears to deteriorate with each journal entry until she finally reaches her
She begins seeing the woman not only in the paper, but “creeping” throughout the property, and she resolves to destroy the wallpaper and catch the woman, if necessary. In the end, the wallpaper is destroyed, and the trapped woman is revealed to be the narrator herself as she exclaims, “I’ve got out at last…in spite of you…you can’t put me back” (351). The primary central idea of this story is that the remedy may exacerbate the ailment when the remedy is disregard. Although early on it is stated that she feels “it is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship”, the narrator’s husband insists she remain alone, furthering her retreat from sanity (342). Whether her writings and delusions about the wallpaper were her attempt to cling to reality or proof that she had lost her mind, the secondary central idea of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a lack of stimulation and severe isolation may have negative effects on the mind. The narrator’s mental health appears to deteriorate with each journal entry until she finally reaches her