Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” features symbolism and themes of the struggles of women and women’s rights during the 1800’s as well as portraying the counterintuitive treatment of women’s depression through the use of seclusion. In the “Vimeo” video adaptation of the “Yellow Wallpaper,” John is deliberately portrayed and used in a more active role compared to that of the written work. With John’s more active role in the film, our focus is directed more to the spiraling mental state of the narrator, while also diminishing some of the other themes found throughout the written work. In the written work of Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, perhaps the most notable underlying theme portrayed throughout the work
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The wallpaper in “The Yellow Wallpaper” symbolically represents this “wall” of suppression the women of this time faced, and secretly desired and wished to break free from. The narrator writes, “The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over. Then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard.” (Gilman, pg. 183) The shaking of the paper by the woman or women behind the wallpaper represents the women of the 1800’s desires to break free of the suppression forced upon them by men. The narrator also states that sometimes she feels s though there are a great many women trapped behind the paper and at other times only one. Perhaps this symbolizes that at times, the women of the time felt there were a great many of them who believed they were trapped and suppressed and wished to break free from the rules set in place for the women in this male society. But then again, because there was so much suppression at times, the women probably felt as though they were alone in their desires to be freed from the suppression. The narrator also states that the women behind the paper “shake it” but only in the dark spots, symbolizing that the attempts to break free of this male suppression only takes place when no one is looking or around. In the climax and conclusion of the story, we see the narrator finally break, tearing down the wallpaper stating, “I 've got out at last," said I, "in spite of you and Jane. And I 've pulled off most of the paper, so you can 't put me back!" (Gilman, pg. 187) In tearing down the wallpaper, the narrator symbolizes finally breaking free from male suppression and suppression in
The wallpaper in “The Yellow Wallpaper” symbolically represents this “wall” of suppression the women of this time faced, and secretly desired and wished to break free from. The narrator writes, “The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over. Then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard.” (Gilman, pg. 183) The shaking of the paper by the woman or women behind the wallpaper represents the women of the 1800’s desires to break free of the suppression forced upon them by men. The narrator also states that sometimes she feels s though there are a great many women trapped behind the paper and at other times only one. Perhaps this symbolizes that at times, the women of the time felt there were a great many of them who believed they were trapped and suppressed and wished to break free from the rules set in place for the women in this male society. But then again, because there was so much suppression at times, the women probably felt as though they were alone in their desires to be freed from the suppression. The narrator also states that the women behind the paper “shake it” but only in the dark spots, symbolizing that the attempts to break free of this male suppression only takes place when no one is looking or around. In the climax and conclusion of the story, we see the narrator finally break, tearing down the wallpaper stating, “I 've got out at last," said I, "in spite of you and Jane. And I 've pulled off most of the paper, so you can 't put me back!" (Gilman, pg. 187) In tearing down the wallpaper, the narrator symbolizes finally breaking free from male suppression and suppression in