When one thinks of the word “insane”, what typically comes to mind? Abandoned insane asylums, with dark passages and clawed doorways? Rusted shackles and distant screams? Whatever comes to mind, it is certainly not a sunlit nursery atop a mansion, outfitted in a distasteful yellow wallpaper. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” upends stereotypical depictions of mental illness in order to discuss insanity--what exactly defines one as “insane” versus “sane”, and where is the boundary between the two? The short story initially seems to be a tale of a 19th century woman forced into the notorious rest cure popularized at the time by male doctors; however, as the plot progresses, it becomes a much deeper commentary not only on societal
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Isolation plays a key role in her mental deterioration. Even the description of the mansion reinforces this loneliness: "It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village” (338). This, on top of being left alone in the nursery all day guarantees the narrator is left entirely isolated with her thoughts. And physical isolation is simply the start. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written in the late 19th century, inspired by Gilman’s own experience with the rest cure; hence, it can be concluded that the short story also occurs in the same time frame. Societal expectations of women were much more restrictive in that time period, and women were viewed as inferior to men, pitiable, and unintelligent. This is demonstrated in John’s condescending behavior: he uses nicknames like “little girl”, “hardly lets [her] stir without special instruction”, and literally keeps her in a nursery (344) (338). The isolation of women is also shown in the conflict itself: the rest cure was a treatment used almost exclusively on women suffering psychological illnesses. Trapped in a room, trapped by her husband, and trapped by society--what option does the narrator have? She has nowhere to go and nothing to do. The setting provides no satisfactory option for escape, so the narrator creates her own: go insane. And it provides the escape that she craves; she writes in regard to investigating the wallpaper: “Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be. You see, I have something more to expect, to look forward to, to watch” (346). The narrator is able to cope with an existence in which she lacks control by taking command of one of the few things she has left--her sanity. Hence, madness is an option that is chosen when reality presents
Isolation plays a key role in her mental deterioration. Even the description of the mansion reinforces this loneliness: "It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village” (338). This, on top of being left alone in the nursery all day guarantees the narrator is left entirely isolated with her thoughts. And physical isolation is simply the start. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written in the late 19th century, inspired by Gilman’s own experience with the rest cure; hence, it can be concluded that the short story also occurs in the same time frame. Societal expectations of women were much more restrictive in that time period, and women were viewed as inferior to men, pitiable, and unintelligent. This is demonstrated in John’s condescending behavior: he uses nicknames like “little girl”, “hardly lets [her] stir without special instruction”, and literally keeps her in a nursery (344) (338). The isolation of women is also shown in the conflict itself: the rest cure was a treatment used almost exclusively on women suffering psychological illnesses. Trapped in a room, trapped by her husband, and trapped by society--what option does the narrator have? She has nowhere to go and nothing to do. The setting provides no satisfactory option for escape, so the narrator creates her own: go insane. And it provides the escape that she craves; she writes in regard to investigating the wallpaper: “Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be. You see, I have something more to expect, to look forward to, to watch” (346). The narrator is able to cope with an existence in which she lacks control by taking command of one of the few things she has left--her sanity. Hence, madness is an option that is chosen when reality presents