Isolation In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote the story "The Yellow Wallpaper." This short story was published in 1982. Through a journal written by the narrator, the reader learns of the story. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is about a woman who has recently given birth and is on a little break from her home life. Her husband tags along on her 'escape ' for the summer at an ancestral hall while their home is undergoing renovations. This 'escape ' is to help her supposed nerves and anxiety. It is also for the narrator to rest until she is well again. Although the narrator 's husband was a physician and was trying to help his wife, the "Yellow Wallpaper" began to symbolize the rapid deterioration of the narrator 's state because the isolation in that room continued …show more content…
Upon seeing that line, the reader assumes it is just an ordinary couple staying at a vacation home. However, the motive of their extended stay comes into question when the narrator states that, "John is a physician, and perhaps . . . that is one reason I do not get well faster" (419). Her husband does not understand what is going on and does not feel that she is sick. He is under the assumption she just needs some relaxation and rest. Rather than diagnose his wife correctly, John says that the narrator has a "temporary nervous depression with a slight hysterical tendency" (419). With the current medical advancements and more in depth knowledge, one can gather that she actually had postpartum depression. One could come to this conclusion when the …show more content…
To the narrator, it is just horrid paper. Only the paper in the room bothers her. Tears are seen throughout in spots. A front pattern seems to move together with a back pattern. The narrator describes the outside pattern as "florid arabesque, reminding one of a fungus" (426). There is a terrible and unusual smell associated with the wallpaper for the narrator. It is an odor that is recognized upon entering the room. Throughout its entirety, "The Yellow Wallpaper” expresses symbolism. The wallpaper itself depicts a strong imprisonment. It is the trap of life. This symbol ties in with the hallucination of a woman trying to escape the wallpaper. A sense of self imprisonment comes into play when the narrator writes, “The faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if she wanted to get out” (425). The faint figure behind the pattern is actually the narrator. Wishing to move to a different room or tear down the wallpaper, the narrator 's requests are ultimately denied. She is confined in a single room she cannot even stand to be in because of wallpaper. There is no freedom for the narrator and she has little to no say about her own life. Symbolism of the wallpaper turns into a similarity between the wallpapers condition and the narrator 's mental state at the time. Eventually, she becomes obsessed with this wallpaper. Obsession keeps increasing day by day. A