The Character Of John In The Yellow Wallpaper

In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator’s husband John shows controlling behavior, which ultimately sends the woman into madness; however, he can still be considered a compassionate and concerned physician and husband, despite his character flaws. Many people see John as the villain in this story, but the true villain is the woman’s illness itself and the ignorance of proper treatment for patients with mental illnesses. John insisted that that woman suppress her imagination, exercise regularly, rest, and most importantly, stay isolated. He truly felt like this was going to help her. One reason for John’s misunderstanding of the woman’s condition is his personality. The woman describes him as “practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an …show more content…
A symbol that is easily shown is that the woman felt trapped in her marriage, which was symbolized by the woman that she saw behind bars in the yellow wallpaper. People may say that John felt like he was superior to her in the way that he called her things such as “little girl” (Gilman 473) and “blessed little goose” (Gilman 470). This is not an entirely false accusation. The fact that the woman has a mental illness already lowers the reader’s opinion of her as far as superiority, and the theme of oppression in marriage is evident. Because this story is written from the perspective of the woman, it is easier for readers to assume that the man is oppressive and controlling. Once again, John only insists that she do certain things because he cares about her. He does not want her to write or imagine things because he feels like it will worsen her condition, he asks that she exercise so that she can maintain her strength, and he keeps her mainly isolated in a room at the top of the house so she will focus on getting better. This makes John seem tyrannical, but in reality, he does everything out of his longing to help his