Temptations of the Mind.
Can you imagine going through the changes of pregnancy and not being understood or have anyone to listen to you about the way you feel? Women in the 19th century were not fully understood, particularly after giving birth, and were in a sense ignored. During this time period women did not have a lot of say so in society so medically the way a woman’s body functioned was not yet explored. Many women in the 19th century use to be deprived and oppressed without society even realizing it. Charlotte Perkins Gilman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” uses symbolism to describe how the main character is oppressed through the room she stays in, the way she is treated by her husband, and the wallpaper in her room.
First, the author illustrates …show more content…
Throughout “The Yellow wallpaper” the narrator tells her husband many times that she did not want to stay at the house they were at. Each time John acted as if his wife did not know what she was talking about and tried to convince her that everything was fine. One night, in the middle of the night, the narrator wakes up and then decides to speak with John about going back home once again. Referring to his wife as “little girl” (478) John uses reverse phycology saying “I cannot possibly leave town just now. Of course, if you were in any danger, I could and would, but you really are better” (478). Even when John decides to tell his wife that she does not know what or how she is feeling or thinking, she instinctively reacts to his behavior as him just being thoughtful of her and looking out for her best interest. Throughout this story the narrator seems to love her husband very much, thinking very highly of him, she always has positive thoughts of John often referring to him as loving or caring. She keeps a journal which she enjoys writing in a great deal, John on the other hand believes that her writing is silly and will just exhaust her. If John would encourage his wife to write about how she perceives things more often it could possibly keep her mind for believing in these false illusions. In many ways John treats his wife like a child and is demeaning to
Can you imagine going through the changes of pregnancy and not being understood or have anyone to listen to you about the way you feel? Women in the 19th century were not fully understood, particularly after giving birth, and were in a sense ignored. During this time period women did not have a lot of say so in society so medically the way a woman’s body functioned was not yet explored. Many women in the 19th century use to be deprived and oppressed without society even realizing it. Charlotte Perkins Gilman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” uses symbolism to describe how the main character is oppressed through the room she stays in, the way she is treated by her husband, and the wallpaper in her room.
First, the author illustrates …show more content…
Throughout “The Yellow wallpaper” the narrator tells her husband many times that she did not want to stay at the house they were at. Each time John acted as if his wife did not know what she was talking about and tried to convince her that everything was fine. One night, in the middle of the night, the narrator wakes up and then decides to speak with John about going back home once again. Referring to his wife as “little girl” (478) John uses reverse phycology saying “I cannot possibly leave town just now. Of course, if you were in any danger, I could and would, but you really are better” (478). Even when John decides to tell his wife that she does not know what or how she is feeling or thinking, she instinctively reacts to his behavior as him just being thoughtful of her and looking out for her best interest. Throughout this story the narrator seems to love her husband very much, thinking very highly of him, she always has positive thoughts of John often referring to him as loving or caring. She keeps a journal which she enjoys writing in a great deal, John on the other hand believes that her writing is silly and will just exhaust her. If John would encourage his wife to write about how she perceives things more often it could possibly keep her mind for believing in these false illusions. In many ways John treats his wife like a child and is demeaning to