the yellow wallpaper interpretation essay

Analysis of 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by C. Perkins Gilman

Nazar Abbas Photography/Getty Images

Short Stories
Best Sellers
Classic Literature
Plays & Drama
Shakespeare
Children's Books
Ph.D., English, State University of New York at Albany
B.A., English, Brown University

Like Kate Chopin's " The Story of an Hour ," Charlotte Perkins Gilman's " The Yellow Wallpaper " is a mainstay of feminist literary study. First published in 1892, the story takes the form of secret journal entries written by a woman who is supposed to be recovering from what her husband, a physician, calls a nervous condition.

This haunting psychological horror story chronicles the narrator's descent into madness, or perhaps into the paranormal, or perhaps—depending on your interpretation—into freedom. The result is a story as chilling as anything by Edgar Allan Poe or Stephen King .

Recovery Through Infantilization

The protagonist's husband, John, does not take her illness seriously. Nor does he take her seriously. He prescribes, among other things, a "rest cure," in which she is confined to their summer home, mostly to her bedroom.

The woman is discouraged from doing anything intellectual, even though she believes some "excitement and change" would do her good. She is allowed very little company—certainly not from the "stimulating" people she most wishes to see. Even her writing must happen in secret.

In short, John treats her like a child. He calls her diminutive names like "blessed little goose" and "little girl." He makes all decisions for her and isolates her from the things she cares about.

Even her bedroom is not the one she wanted; instead, it's a room that appears to have once been a nursery, emphasizing her return to infancy. Its "windows are barred for little children," showing again that she is being treated as a child—as well as a prisoner.

John's actions are couched in concern for the woman, a position that she initially seems to believe herself. "He is very careful and loving," she writes in her journal, "and hardly lets me stir without special direction." Her words also sound as if she is merely parroting what she's been told, though phrases like "hardly lets me stir" seem to harbor a veiled complaint.

Fact Versus Fancy

John dismisses anything that hints of emotion or irrationality—what he calls "fancy." For instance, when the narrator says that the wallpaper in her bedroom disturbs her, he informs her that she is letting the wallpaper "get the better of her" and refuses to remove it.

John doesn't simply dismiss things he finds fanciful though; he also uses the charge of "fancy" to dismiss anything he doesn't like. In other words, if he doesn't want to accept something, he simply declares that it is irrational.

When the narrator tries to have a "reasonable talk" with him about her situation, she is so distraught that she is reduced to tears. Instead of interpreting her tears as evidence of her suffering, he takes them as evidence that she is irrational and can't be trusted to make decisions for herself.

As part of his infantilization of her, he speaks to her as if she is a whimsical child, imagining her own illness. "Bless her little heart!" he says. "She shall be as sick as she pleases!" He does not want to acknowledge that her problems are real, so he silences her.

The only way the narrator could appear rational to John would be to become satisfied with her situation, which means there is no way for her to express concerns or ask for changes.

In her journal, the narrator writes:

"John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him."

John can't imagine anything outside his own judgment. So when he determines that the narrator's life is satisfactory, he imagines that the fault lies with her perception. It never occurs to him that her situation might really need improvement.

The Wallpaper

The nursery walls are covered in putrid yellow wallpaper with a confused, eerie pattern. The narrator is horrified by it.

She studies the incomprehensible pattern in the wallpaper, determined to make sense of it. But rather than making sense of it, she begins to identify a second pattern—that of a woman creeping furtively behind the first pattern, which acts as a prison for her.

The first pattern of the wallpaper can be seen as the societal expectations that hold women, like the narrator, captive. Her recovery will be measured by how cheerfully she resumes her domestic duties as wife and mother, and her desire to do anything else—like write—is something that would interfere with that recovery.

Though the narrator studies and studies the pattern in the wallpaper, it never makes any sense to her. Similarly, no matter how hard she tries to recover, the terms of her recovery—embracing her domestic role—never make sense to her, either.

The creeping woman can represent both victimization by the societal norms and resistance to them.

This creeping woman also gives a clue about why the first pattern is so troubling and ugly. It seems to be peppered with distorted heads with bulging eyes—the heads of other creeping women who were strangled by the pattern when they tried to escape it. That is, women who couldn't survive when they tried to resist cultural norms. Gilman writes that "nobody could climb through that pattern—it strangles so."

Becoming a Creeping Woman

Eventually, the narrator becomes a creeping woman herself. The first indication is when she says, rather startlingly, "I always lock the door when I creep by daylight." Later, the narrator and the creeping woman work together to pull off the wallpaper.

The narrator also writes, "[T]here are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast," implying that the narrator is only one of many.

That her shoulder "just fits" into the groove on the wall is sometimes interpreted to mean that she has been the one ripping the paper and creeping around the room all along. But it could also be interpreted as an assertion that her situation is no different from that of many other women. In this interpretation, "The Yellow Wallpaper" becomes not just a story about one woman's madness, but a maddening system.

At one point, the narrator observes the creeping women from her window and asks, "I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did?"

Her coming out of the wallpaper—her freedom—coincides with a descent into mad behavior: ripping off the paper, locking herself in her room, even biting the immovable bed. That is, her freedom comes when she finally reveals her beliefs and behavior to those around her and stops hiding.

The final scene—in which John faints and the narrator continues to creep around the room, stepping over him every time—is disturbing but also triumphant. Now John is the one who is weak and sickly, and the narrator is the one who finally gets to determine the rules of her own existence. She is finally convinced that he only "pretended to be loving and kind." After being consistently infantilized by his comments, she turns the tables on him by addressing him condescendingly, if only in her mind, as "young man."

John refused to remove the wallpaper, and in the end, the narrator used it as her escape.

the yellow wallpaper interpretation essay

'Their Eyes Were Watching God' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices

the yellow wallpaper interpretation essay

Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening' of Edna Pontellier

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Back to School Offer

Get 20% of Your First Order amount back in Reward Credits!

Get 20% of Your First Order back in Rewards

Literary Analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Essay Example

This Essay was written by one of our professional writers.

Literary Analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Essay Example

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

Need a custom Essay written for you?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a seemingly personal account of female oppression during the 19 th century. At that time in history women were commonly seen as possessions or property, rather than an equal partner to their spouse. The story details the narrator’s journey as she explains many details about the people and places that surround her, which are very symbolic for a number of themes. Not only are relationships and society restrictive, but she also finds that her house and bedroom are particularly repressive to her physical being as well as her emotional growth. This paper will explore the various symbolic meanings found in Gilman’s story and also relate that to the oppressive nature of women during that time in history. The narrator identifies her feelings of oppression and imprisonment in her marriage just as the “woman behind the wallpaper” does; both women are looking for a way out, but unable to escape the physical restraints placed on them.

A Summer Retreat For Nervous Depression

The story begins with the account of both the house and grounds that the narrator and her husband will be staying at for a summer retreat. She is very expressive with her descriptions, but she spends much of her time explaining how she believes that there is something off or “queer” about the house and grounds. Once inside the house she begins to imagine and even describes the patterns in the wallpaper and walls of the home. The negative energy that she uses to explain could be from her being diagnosed with “nervous depression” by her husband, who is also a doctor. She states that she is prescribed “phosphates and tonics….and absolutely forbidden to work until I am well again (Gilman 1). In order to better understand the narrator and her feelings, one must understand the viewpoint and beliefs about women during this time. At this point in history, women that suffered from mood swings or other emotions were often to be said to be crazy or have depression that should be treated with rest and restricted activity. This is exactly what the narrator is supposed to do, rest, stay in her bedroom and is explicitly forbidden to write or express her thoughts. Her creative expression kept in her journal is considered badly John and she is forced to hide her journal from him as well as and others that enter the home.

One of the most symbolic meanings of the story is the restriction of the narrator’s ability to write in her journal or express her thoughts. This suggests that her thoughts and feelings are not important to her husband, John or anyone for that matter. She relates to the reader that John suggests that her writing is simply neurotic worry and that it is not good for her treatment. Her treatment of course is rest and staying out of the way of her husband for the most part, which causes her to see herself as a burden (Gilman 3). At this time in history mental illness was poorly understood and those afflicted were often locked away or isolated from others. It was believed, just like the narrator states that the afflicted individual must take control of their emotions and make the necessary changes. Women were often treated like children in the respect that they needed to be guided and were unable to make decisions for themselves. To further this train of thought, John commonly referred to his wife in the story as a “blessed little goose” and even a little girl (Gilman 7). While it seems that John is giving his wife pet names, these are more symbolic of a person that is unable to care for themselves or is childlike, which was consistent with the beliefs of the time.

Not only was he attempting to control his wife through their marriage, but he was also a doctor that could prescribe “treatment” for her, which further restricted her.

Bars on the Windows

The narrator was locked away on the second floor and her husband and sister in law, Jennie and a nanny were her caregivers. Her food is brought to her and the nanny tends to her child, while Jennie is said to be the perfect housekeeper. There is no reason for her to leave her room, as she is to rest and not engage in any work. The room that she is placed in is described as being lit by the sun and spacious, but she details that it may have been where children stayed. The manner by which she describes leads the reader to believe that it is a nursery, as the windows are barred and there are rings and things in the wall (Gilman 2). She explains that there are bars on the windows, which likely were placed there because of the children that the room was used for. The symbolic bars on the window noted by the narrator represent the feeling of being held against her will with no escape. On one side she was faced with a repressive husband that refuses to hear her concerns and the only other way out was secured with bars. She sees her marriage and surroundings as a prison, bars on the windows and being confined to a room where her actions are dictated by others. She is not free to move about or engage in any activity under the pretext that it would worsen her condition. Ironically, depression is said to improve with a persons increased activity level, which is another form of symbolic oppression in the story and in society in general during that time period.

Women’s Oppression

At one point in the story she states that she likes to fantasize about people walking on the walkway or grounds of the estate, however is discouraged by her husband. This represents the disregard for her imagination or creative thought process. This can also be seen in his disregard for her writing as she states, “he hates to have me write a word” (Gilman 2). A woman’s ability or right to work is an expression of herself and this story represents the way that it was stunted. Instead the only job that a woman was capable of was taking care of her family, and in this story that had even been taken from the narrator. It was the woman’s job to engage in domestic care of both the children and spouse, not work outside the home or have income of her own. Society placed many restrictive beliefs on females, giving them little freedom or rights as a citizen. During this time in history, women that divorced their husbands or did not obey them were considered second class citizens. In some cases they were not allowed to engage in society as they had broken the sacred code of marriage. In a sense the narrators physical being is trapped in her room, however her emotional being is trapped through the inability to write, work, care for her children or even explain her medical condition.

The Patterned Wallpaper

The narrator describes the wallpaper as yellow with a revolting and hideous pattern (Gilman 2). She sees bulbous images and what she describes as broken necks in the papers design. She asks her husband to change rooms; however he says that it is the best room for her recovery. Drawing from the fact that it was a child’s nursery one could make the comparison again that she is being treated like a child. Some of the wallpaper according to the narrator is already been picked or torn. Through the story, she begins to see figures behind the wallpaper that she believes is a woman who is trapped. This shadow or trapped woman is described as, “dim shapes that get clearer every day” (Gilman 10).

In the beginning, the narrator, was only able to see odd patterns, however not the females that she believes to be trapped. She says that the woman stays behind the bars as they bind her. The woman is silent or still during the day, however when night comes the woman rattles the bars that entrap her inside the wall or behind the wallpaper itself. Her beliefs about this woman can be seen as her own mental illness or struggle with being oppressed by her husband and society as well. She claims that this woman creeps and greatly desires to be set free from the constraints of the wallpaper.

Just as the narrator is hiding her journal and inner thoughts from her husband, the woman behind the wallpaper hides in the sunlight, but moves under the moonlight. This signifies the hiding of the female presence, but only expressing herself when no one is looking. Throughout the story, the narrator becomes more obsessed with the wallpaper, the figures and movement of the pattern. This is her only source of entertainment and she begins to identify with the woman that is trapped. As the story moves along and she becomes even more depressed, she begins to make plans to free the woman. Her goal is to do so within two days, which is their scheduled departure date from the house. She begins picking and tearing at the wallpaper to not only free the woman she sees, but also as a source of taking her own control (Gilman 11). She is defying her husband, as he certainly would not approve of her actions or thoughts. As she tears the wallpaper she hears shrieks, but is intent on allowing the woman to go free. During the time that she is peeling the paper, she contemplates jumping out the window, but is unable to because there are bars on the windows. She also notes that she is afraid of all the other women creeping outside. Some may feel that the narrator has been driven mad by the wallpaper at this point, however it seems that the meaning is that of her final decision not to care what her husband thinks. She is following what she feels and standing up for her own freedom by releasing the woman behind the wallpaper. When her husband learns of her actions, he breaks his way into the room and then faints at the sight of what she has done. He, of course believes that she has gone completely mad and faints. The story ends with the narrator creeping around the perimeter of the room, even stepping over his body in the process (Gilman 12). Again her stepping over his body is symbolic that she is no longer under his control, even though she has likely suffered a nervous breakdown and has lost her mind.

In conclusion, Gilman’s story is that of a personal account from a female’s perspective. The narrator comes to identify with the women in the wallpaper that she imagines. Of course these delusions are due to her illness, which is most likely related to depression and post-partum, as there is a baby referenced in the story. Medical conditions were not understood and the general consensus of the time was to use natural remedies coupled with rest. Those that suffered from depression or other mental disorders would likely be separated from the general community as they simply didn’t know what else to do with them. Along with the narrator suffering from depression, she was also a victim of historical oppression. During this time, women were seen as less than equal and not allowed to express opinions or take an active role in decision making. Their place was in a domestic role and nothing more. While some might say that the wallpaper drove the narrator crazy, others might see it as an escape from an oppressive reality in the only manner that she could control; her own thoughts and bizarre actions!

Gilman, Charlotte. “The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; The Yellow Wallpaper Page 1.” Page By Page Books. Read Classic Books Online, Free. . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://www.pagebypagebooks

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Blog Posting: Us and Them, Essay Example

Emerging Technologies in Distance Learning, Article Review Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

It's a Free, No-Obligation Inquiry!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

Get a Free E-Book ($50 in value)

Get a Free E-Book

How To Write The Best Essay Ever!

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Sense of safety in the books when no one is watching and obsidian, essay example.

What It Means to Call the Bible a Word of God, Essay Example

How Is “Kedusha” (Holiness) Conceptualized in Judaism? Essay Example

What Effects Has the Internet Had on Disability? Essay Example

A Visit to Alien Planet, Essay Example

Revolutionary France 1789-1793, Essay Example

Need a professionally written Custom Essay?

We will write it for you, in any discipline! Starting at only

Right now, you can get a professionally written essay in any discipline with a

Please, check your email for the offer!

We're now sending you a link to download your e-book, please check your e-mail. Thank you!

Thank you for the subscription!

You can receive the notifications now. It's pleasure to stay in touch!

Get a Free E-Book ($50 in value)

Get a Free E-Book

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — The Yellow Wallpaper

Essays on The Yellow Wallpaper

"the yellow wallpaper" by charlotte perkins gilman: the use of symbolism, foreshadowing and irony to show female oppression.

Rated by a GradeFixer's writer

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "Yellow Wallpaper": Mental Illness

Critical analysis of "the yellow wallpaper" written by charlotte perkins gilman, the importance of the point of view in the yellow wallpaper, the opression of women in a jury of her peer and the yellow wallpaper, female insanity in the yellow wallpaper, the violence of achieving of the victorian ideal of femininity in the yellow wallpaper, literary analysis of the yellow wallpaper by charlotte perkins gillman, analysis of the main themes in "the yellow wallpaper" by charlotte perkins gilman, jane's postpartum depression in the yellow wallpaper by charlotte perkins gilman, analysis of feminism in 'the yellow wallpaper' by charlotte perkins gilman, conflict in the yellow wallpaper, the themes of feminism in the yellow wallpaper, analysis of narrator in the yellow wallpaper, analysis of symbolism in the yellow wallpaper by charlotte gilman, male domination and female oppression in the yellow wallpaper, analysis of charlotte perkins gilman’s point of view on women oppression in the yellow wallpaper, feminism and freedom in the yellow wallpaper and the story of an hour, analytical on the symbolism in the "yellow wallpaper", depression as one of the main themes in the yellow wallpaper by charlotte perkins gilman, the historical context of the yellow wallpaper by charlotte gilman, marxist theory of alienation in gilman's 'the yellow wallpaper', perception versus reality in the yellow wallpaper, the use of symbols to describe the persecution of women in the yellow wallpaper, mood comparison in "the tell-tale heart" and "the yellow wallpaper", the effects of women's role and mental illnesses in "the yellow wallpaper", postpartum depression in the yellow wallpaper by charlotte perkins gilman, a theme of depression in the yellow wallpaper by charlotte perkins gilman, feminism in the yellow wallpaper: road to women’s freedom in the 19th century, depiction of women treatment in society in the yellow wallpaper, feeling stressed about your essay.

Get professional help in 5 minutes

1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Short story; Psychological fiction, Gothic literature

The Woman in the Wallpaper, John, Mary, Narrator, Jennie

Based on the theme of madness and being powerless. According to an article in Forerunner magazine’s publication in 1913, it has been loosely based on the author's own mental illness that she has been going through because of postpartum depression.

Feminism, madness, loneliness, isolation, mental illness, fear, postpartum depression.

It has been influenced by early feminism and gender relations in late 19th-century America. It also deals with the mental breakdown and the postpartum depression, loneliness, and isolation. The Yellow Wallpaper became a symbol of a mental disease and the covering of female loneliness and lack of help after becoming a mother.

It tells a story about a woman who is obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room, which is a symbol of falling into psychosis as a result of depression. As the protagonist is placed on a special "cure" at the rented summer estate with her family, she becomes isolated and slowly becomes insane. It shows the structure of domestic life through the lens of madness and the early feminism outlook.

The book has been written by Gilman to persuade her physician that his ways have been wrong. The "Yellow Wallpaper" has been a helping grace for many other women to escape insanity. Some publishers believed that this story was too depressing and rejected to publish it. It is one of the earliest feminism-related stories ever published. Hysteria was among the most frequent diagnoses that was common for women in the 19th century. Gilman has never been paid for her initial publication of the story. Gilman has testified before Congress in favor of woman suffrage at the 1896 Hearing of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

“But I MUST say what I feel and think in some way — it is such a relief! But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief.” “I never saw a worse paper in my life. One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin.” “You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream.” “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.” “I am glad my case is not serious! But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.”

The culmination of this short story is so-called "rest-cure" of the Victorian times that has been meant to cure hysteria, loneliness, sadness, or any nervous condition in women living in those times.

It is an important work of art that brings up the issue of a mental breakdown that has been ignored in the 19th century. It also speaks of gender relations and the postpartum depression treatment where the men do not see any problem and choose to ignore it. As the story with the relative feminism and the use of symbols, it is a poignant story that is both disturbing and sincere to explain that the problem of depression and a mental breakdown does exist. As the essay topic, it is used to explain the gender relations and the domestic life of women.

1. Gilman, C. P. (2011). Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper?. Advances in psychiatric treatment, 17(4), 265-265. 2. Lanser, S. S. (1989). Feminist criticism," The Yellow Wallpaper," and the politics of color in America. Feminist Studies, 15(3), 415-441. 3. Shumaker, C. (1985). Too terribly good to be printed": Charlotte Gilman's" The Yellow Wallpaper. American Literature, 57(4), 588-599. 4. Davison, C. M. (2004). Haunted House/Haunted Heroine: Female Gothic Closets in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Women's Studies, 33(1), 47-75. 5. Oakley, A. (1997). Beyond the yellow wallpaper. Reproductive Health Matters, 5(10), 29-39. 6. Hume, B. A. (1991). Gilman's" interminable grotesque": The Narrator of" The Yellow Wallpaper". Studies in Short Fiction, 28(4), 477. 7. Hume, B. A. (2002). Managing Madness in Gilman's" The Yellow Wall-Paper". Studies in American Fiction, 30(1), 3-20. 8. Johnson, G. (1989). Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in The Yellow Wallpaper. Studies in Short Fiction, 26(4), 521. 9. Bak, J. S. (1994). Escaping the jaundiced eye: Foucauldian Panopticism in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's" The Yellow Wallpaper.". Studies in Short Fiction, 31(1), 39-47.

Selected filters

Top 10 Similar Topics

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

We can help you get a better grade and deliver your task on time!

Plagiarism checker

Writing help, paraphrasing tool, the yellow wallpaper character analysis.

Analysis , The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis essay

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a feminist short story by Charlotte Perkins- Gilman. The meaning of the story is beyond belief as it see the sights into the basic issues of a woman’s place in society, and women’s rights in the 19th century. Charlotte Perkins-Gilman’s theme behind the short story was an awareness approach and a feminist approach. The main character in the story struggles against the masculine ways of thinking and society norms or standards. She also struggles with mental depression which at the time no one thought too much about. The story tells of the close mindedness of how mental illness and depression was treated and dealt with by medical doctors and society. It tells of a woman who is the central character and speaker, who is going through what seems like a mental breakdown.

Perkins-Gilman’s central character struggles against depression and male governance, which was common in the 19th century. The central character is being imprisoned by John. She is locked away from the outside world because he believes this form of therapy will make her well. He is unaware that isolating her from the things she loves, and social contact is making her depression get worse.

The central character becomes more and more obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in the room where she spends majority of her time. ‘It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide-plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard-of contradictions.’ (Perkins). At this moment the speaker begins to take notice to the yellow wallpaper. Focusing on the yellow wallpaper is perhaps a sort of distraction from her mental depression.

The speaker writes her emotions and feelings on paper, which she feels, must be kept a secret from John and anyone else. Restricted to this room day after day, the central character begins to study the wallpaper more. She then generates an image of a woman behind the yellow wallpaper in the room. The woman seems to be a captive behind the wallpaper, as she cannot escape.

At night she and John sleeps in the room and she remains confined to the room throughout the day. There is no mention of her ever leaving the room. To keep herself distracted she searches for fine details in the yellow wallpaper. She is captivated with this illusion of the woman being held captive behind the wallpaper. As more days go by she becomes obsessed with this illusion.

She continues to watch this woman behind the yellow wallpaper day in and day out. ‘Through watching so much at night, when it changes so, I have finally found out. The front pattern does move-and no wonder! The woman behind it 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.’ (Perkins). She has lost her sense of reality. Perhaps she feels as though what she is imaging is better than her own reality. In her mind the woman is moving around trying to escape, something that she is unable to do. As the story ends the speaker found courage to help the woman get free from the wallpaper.

The deadline is too short to read someone else's essay

Cite this page.

The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis. (2021, Apr 19). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-yellow-wallpaper-character-analysis/

"The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis." PapersOwl.com , 19 Apr 2021, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-yellow-wallpaper-character-analysis/

PapersOwl.com. (2021). The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-yellow-wallpaper-character-analysis/ [Accessed: 3 Mar. 2023]

"The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis." PapersOwl.com, Apr 19, 2021. Accessed March 3, 2023. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-yellow-wallpaper-character-analysis/

"The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis," PapersOwl.com , 19-Apr-2021. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-yellow-wallpaper-character-analysis/. [Accessed: 3-Mar-2023]

PapersOwl.com. (2021). The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-yellow-wallpaper-character-analysis/ [Accessed: 3-Mar-2023]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Make sure your essay is plagiarism-free or hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Plagiarized Text

Leave your email and we will send a sample to you., not finding what you need, search for essay samples now.

the yellow wallpaper interpretation essay

Having doubts about how to write your paper correctly?

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

Don't use plagiarized sources

Where do you want us to send this sample, attention this is just a sample..

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

The Yellow Wallpaper: Essay Topics & Samples

At some point in your studying, you might be asked to produce The Yellow Wallpaper analysis essay. Well, if you’re reading this, you have already received this task! Let’s do it step by step.

Our specialists will write a custom essay on any topic for $13.00 $10.40/page

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains The Yellow Wallpaper essay topics, The Yellow Wallpaper essay prompts, and writing samples. Go on reading if you want to learn more!

💡 The Yellow Wallpaper: Essay Topics

First of all, you should think about the topic of your writing. The Yellow Wallpaper is a story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman at the end of the 19th century. It is considered to be one of the strongest and prominent feminist pieces of literature.

These facts might be your first clue for choosing The Yellow Wallpaper essay topic. Try to look at this issue from your perspective. It is a tip for the guaranteed success of your essay.

In case you don’t particularly fancy the theme of feminism in The Yellow Wallpaper , there are many other options. One of the best methods is highlighting the moments that stand out for you in the story. Don’t forget to write down any questions you might have during the reading to use them later.

However, if you don’t want to waste your time on it, jump straight away to the list of topics prepared for The Yellow Wallpaper essay.

✒️ The Yellow Wallpaper: Essay Samples

Below you’ll find a collection of The Yellow Wallpaper essay examples. Hope you’ll find them useful!

Recommended for You

The Yellow Wallpaper: Themes

The Yellow Wallpaper: Themes

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts provides a wide-ranging and diverse explanation of The Yellow Wallpaper’s themes. The core issues represented in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s gothic novel are gender roles, mental illness, and freedom. Although the writer speaks about her own time, these themes are just as relevant today, if not...

The Yellow Wallpaper: Analysis

The Yellow Wallpaper: Analysis

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains comprehensive analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper: symbolism of the story, the most impressive literary devices used by Gilman, point of view, foreshadowing, and an explanation of the ending’s meaning. 🌈 The Yellow Wallpaper: Symbolism How unfortunate is it that a woman has a mental...

The Yellow Wallpaper: Summary

The Yellow Wallpaper: Summary

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains all you need to know about the events in The Yellow Wallpaper: a short summary, a plot infographic, and a detailed description of the story’s entries. In the first section, you’ll find a synopsis of what happened in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins...

The Metamorphosis: Essay Topics & Samples

The Metamorphosis: Essay Topics & Samples

The Metamorphosis is one of Kafka’s best-known books. It is also one of the most intricate literary pieces in world literature. This is why coming up with an excellent The Metamorphosis essay topic can be challenging. The following list can help you to get started. See if any of these...

The Metamorphosis: Symbols

The Metamorphosis: Symbols

Since its publication in 1915, Kafka’s The Metamorphosis puzzled readers and critics all over the world. The story centers around Gregor Samsa’s transformation into a gigantic insect. The situation is both surreal and unusual. However, the writer proceeds with the story in a realistic manner. Nevertheless, there is a lot...

The Metamorphosis: Themes

The Metamorphosis: Themes

There are several overarching themes of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, but only two are crucial. The story starts when the central transformation has already happened. However, each character in the novella goes through its journey: Gregor, Grete, Gregor’s mother, and Gregor’s father. In this article, you’ll see how characters...

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman that explains the sad story of a woman suffering from acute postpartum depression. Written during the dying years of the 19th century, The Yellow Wallpaper is characteristic of the mental and emotional treatment that women were subjected to during this period. Indeed, Gilman uses this short story as her “reaction” to this sort of treatment. Given the weight that Gilman gives The Yellow Wallpaper and considering her own life, one would conclude that she was indeed using the story as a reference to her life. Through reading the story, one can see a clear desire for the women in this period to entangle themselves from domination. In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, there is a clear theme of domination of women, and society seems to be unanimous in support of it.

We will write a custom Essay on The Yellow Wallpaper specifically for you for only $11.00 $9.35/page

807 certified writers online

The Yellow Wallpaper: Short Story Analysis

From the surface, the story seems to be addressing the narrator’s sickness, but a more in-depth analysis reveals that it is indeed talking about the condition of the womenfolk in general. The society seems to have assigned roles for women, which they are supposed to adhere to. In the story, John symbolically represents the male folk while the narrator represents the women. Throughout the story, the narrator, together with the rest of the women trapped in the wallpaper, is desperately trying to break loose from the function that the society has assigned for them. Although these women are trying as hard as they can, their courage always seems to fail them, especially at night when their husbands and the rest of the family are at home. However, their courage finally gives way, and this is why John, who represents men, faints upon realizing that his wife has finally broken free from his control. Although this observation is debatable, there is clear evidence from the story to prove this point. Right from the start, there seem to be specific duties that wives and mothers have to fulfill. These duties seem to have been so oppressive that women tend to get depressed after giving birth to their first child. This depression leads them to take the rest cure during which time they are supposed to do nothing but to eat and remain in seclusion. The rest is so extreme such that one is even forbidden from writing anything since this would be tantamount to overworking their brains, something that would hinder their recovery. This is despite the fact that the narrator knows that “congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good.” (Gilman) The oppression of women seems to have been so great that John and the narrator’s brother, both physicians, believe that the narrator is not sick despite her thinking otherwise. This happens despite the fact that they both love the narrator dearly. What is surprising is that despite this form of medication, the narrator does not seem to get any better. She wishes that she could get well faster just to escape this form of the regimen. It is obvious that the narrator views the treatment as an unnecessary interruption in her life that should not have occurred in the first place. Despite this, she is aware of the repercussions that could possibly follow her refusal to adhere to the terms of the medication. Instead of looking into the reasons why her recovery is slow, John believes that her wife is to blame something that seems to scare the narrator a great deal. This is seen when she says, “If I don’t pick up faster, he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall.” (Gilman) Although we are not told what kind of a place Weir Mitchell was, there is no doubt that it was a place that instilled fear on the narrator, and this makes us wonder what kind of a husband would want to take his wife in such a place. In fact, Gilman seems to have put this statement for effect just to show us the extreme end that these men were willing to go to keep their women under control. Although the couple rents a colonial mansion for the wife to recuperate, it is ironic how she is not allowed any say in the matter. Throughout the story, John seems to know what is best for his wife, and he does not accept her output in the matter. The husband does not even allow her to choose her bedroom from the many rooms. Instead, he forces her to occupy the room with the ugly wallpaper. The narrator wants to do so many things but as it was characteristic in that period, the marriage institution that she is committed to compromises her freedom and happiness. In addition to the bedroom containing the ugly wallpaper, the room has no windows, and even the bed is bolted to prevent her from moving it to any other position. This is a clear sign of control and domination by the husband. By analyzing the lives of the women behind the wallpaper, it is obvious that they are trying to look for their freedom. On her part, the narrator is looking for freedom from her husband and the rest cure that she has been subjected to. Throughout the story, the narrator tries hard to free women from the gender bias that had seeped in society. However, this is not easy because, just like the wallpaper, these societal changes had become “ridged and yellow with age.” (Gilman) Despite John’s domination, the narrator slowly begins to take control of her life. Although she had loathed the yellow wallpaper at first, she begins gaining some mental strength just by watching it. As her mind begins to churn, she forces herself to think, and this is something that her husband does not like. Deep down her heart, she knows that her husband does not necessarily know everything, but she does not say anything for fear of reprisals. Although John has told her not to bother herself with anything, she begins analyzing the wallpaper, and that is when she notices the figure of women trying to free themselves. For once, the narrator feels that she knows something that her husband or any other person, for that matter, does not have an idea about. This is presented when she says, “there are things in that paper that nobody knows but me.” For once, the narrator is elated since she feels that she possesses first-hand knowledge that is not yet evident to her husband. For once in her life, she seems to have concluded that she has a functional mind that is entirely hers and one that she can use as she wills. Even to John, his wife is like a mystery that he is unable to solve. That is why he keeps her locked in the bedroom just to keep her under control. However, what he fails to realize is that by doing so, he is actually helping her to solve her own mystery. As the story nears climax, John seems bewildered, and he even seems to be noticing a change of attitude on the narrator. In fact, he commends her for putting an effort to get better, but she knows that she is getting well for other reasons. Although he does not admit it, John has realized that the wallpaper is a representation of his wife, and that is why he reprimands her wherever he catches her staring at it. Just with a day to go before they leave the house, the narrator masters her courage and tears down the wallpaper. The narrator’s feelings of freedom come to peak when she manages to pull down the yellow wallpaper from the walls where it had hanged. To accomplish this, she uses much will power and patience, but she finally manages to get the work done. She is convinced that John would reprimand her for tearing down the wallpaper, but for once, she is not bothered. To her, taking control of anything even if it is the “odious wallpaper” is better than just sitting and doing nothing. Indeed, tearing down the wallpaper seems only to be the first step toward her freedom. To her, she seems to have concluded that her life was in her own hands and not on Johns or any other male for that matter. Within a short time, she seems to have developed mentally as a woman. The narrator’s final victory comes when John arrives home and realizes what she has done.

To begin with, he is shocked when he realizes that she has locked the door, something that she had never done before. However, the climax arrives when he enters the room and realizes that she has torn down the wallpaper. There is no doubt in John’s mind that his wife has finally developed mentally and regained the freedom that he had for so long denied her. In fact, the shock is so much for John such that he faints. The proof that the narrator has gained mental control comes shortly after when she says that “now why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall so that I had to creep over him every time.” (Gilman) At this point, she is not perturbed by what he thinks, and his fainting does not even surprise her. To her, tearing the wallpaper out of the walls is a sign of showing that she is willing to take matters into her own hands, and this is what scares the husband and makes him faint.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a clear representation of life in the 19thcentury. During this period, women seem to have been under male domination, and society seems to have accepted this fact. Throughout the story, the narrator seems to be fighting to get a voice of her own. However, her husband decides that he knows what is best for her, and he does not even give her the freedom to choose what she wants. Instead, he embarks on making all the decisions for her even on matters that directly affect her well-being. At the end of the story, the narrator regains control of her life, and this scares her husband to a point where he even faints.

Works Cited

Gilman Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper, 1899. Web. < http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/home >

IvyPanda. (2022, August 6). The Yellow Wallpaper. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-yellow-wallpaper/

IvyPanda. (2022, August 6). The Yellow Wallpaper. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-yellow-wallpaper/

"The Yellow Wallpaper." IvyPanda , 6 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-yellow-wallpaper/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Yellow Wallpaper." August 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-yellow-wallpaper/.

IvyPanda . "The Yellow Wallpaper." August 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-yellow-wallpaper/.

IvyPanda . 2022. "The Yellow Wallpaper." August 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-yellow-wallpaper/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'The Yellow Wallpaper'. 6 August.

The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis Essay

the yellow wallpaper interpretation essay

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

Analysis of the yellow wallpaper 1.

In the story of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the protagonist is the narrator, and suffers from mental illness that she describes as nervousness. Her husband, however, refuses to admit that she is ill, but has taken her to a summer rental home for a treatment of rest. John is a physician and prescribes one hour of rest per day, and has restricted her from visitors, traveling, or participating in any activity that he considers to be stressful, including the daily house chores, caring for the baby, or writing, which she sees to be her stress outlet. The societal expectations of the women of the 19th century were that they submissive, pious, pure, and domestic. “It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way!” (Gilman). This is a reflection of the inner conflict the protagonist feels due to society’s expectations of her, and the feelings of guilt she has for not doing her part of the housework and caring for the children. “Personally I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good” (Gilman). It is evident that the narrator doesn’t agree with her husband’s prescribed therapy. However, she is submissive to the restrictions of her therapy with the exception that she secretly begins to write. The consequence of the struggle between her feelings of oppression, and her mental illness being misunderstood and mistreated, is that the narrator experiences a psychotic episode. The room that she once found so repulsive, she finds refuge in now, and refuses to leave. Her ultimate freedom from the restraints of her life is her insanity.…

The Yellow Wallpapers Entrapment Essay Example

The short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman, concentrates on the narrator’s deep depression and her struggle to get better. The narrator spends her summer vacation confined in a nursery on the top floor of a mansion. This is in an attempt to cure her illness by her husband John, who is a doctor. The room has barred windows on all sides and yellow wallpaper with “sprawling flamboyant patterns” (514). The narrator at first is in disgust with the wallpaper and thinks it is an artistic sin. Then with nothing to do, and her imagination running free, she turns her imagination onto the wallpaper. She uses the wallpaper as a form of entertainment and tries to figure out the pattern. The central symbol of the short story is the wallpaper. The meaning behind the wallpaper represents the narrator’s entrapment and her struggle with depression. This essay will describe her descent into a maddening depression in a chronological manner.…

The Yellow Wallpaper

The narrator does not seem to be very reliable. She seems like she is going through a tough stage while she is trapped in the upstairs bedroom. She begins to see a trapped woman figure behind the yellow wallpaper. “The outside pattern, I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be. The narrator’s husband, John, locks her away in her room, so she can get some rest and therefore be cured from her illness. However, as she keeps staring at the yellow wallpaper, the room becomes like a…

The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis

'The Yellow Wallpaper' is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who in her lifetime produced many short stories, novels, essays and poetry. She was born in 1860 in Connecticut, USA and was brought up by a single mother. After giving birth to her daughter Katherine in 1884 she fell into a deep, post-natal depression and was told to go on the 'rest cure'. This is a period spent in inactivity with the intention of improving one's physical or mental health. While it did arise her depression, this 'cure' almost drove Gilman mad. She wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper' in 1892 to show the horrors of the 'rest cure'.…

The Yellow Wallpaper Summary

Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” was published in 1892 after Gilman suffered from “a severe and continuous nervous breakdown tending to melancholia” (Gilman, “Why I wrote”) and was placed under the care of Silas Weir Mitchell. Mitchell’s cure for women with Gilman’s affliction were told to “live as domestic life as far as possible, have but two hours’ intellectual life a day and to never touch a pen, brush, or pencil again” (Gilman, “Why I wrote”). While following Mitchell’s advice, Gilman’s condition slowly worsened and only after she returned to working did her health improve. Using the knowledge she gained from the experience, Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper”. The short story features a woman by the name of Jane, who is…

1. The yellow wallpaper in this story is a symbol of the traditional domestic life, of the narrator and many women during this time period. As the story progresses, the narrator begins to notice a deeper pattern in the wallpaper. At first, the narrator sees the paper as merely hideous and unpleasant color of yellow to look at. However, she eventually concludes that the sub-pattern is representative of trapped women, who are desperate to escape the paper that cages them in. Much like the bars that cover the windows in the narrator’s bedroom. This is significant because it represents the narrator’s ability to overcome the sickness that traps her mind.…

Not just the wallpaper, but everything about her bedroom (including those that occupy it with her) sets the stage for the protagonist’s insanity. When her husband John says: “bless her little heart; she shall be as sick as she pleases” we catch glimpses of his childlike treatment of her (Gilman 181). The use of the word “little” to describe her heart gives the image of a small body to go along with it, like that of an infant. The fact that he says she is “as sick as she pleases” reflects the way a child conjures up illnesses to escape certain chores they do not wish to do. This would make sense because he also diagnosis her with “temporary nervous depression;” which is what was…

Yellow Wall Paper

The narrator is diagnosed with Hysteria by her husband and brother, and she is committed to bed rest is a room covered in yellow wallpaper. The narrator describes it as “revolting” and it has a “sickly sulphur tint”. She repeatedly tells her husband how much she dislikes the wallpaper but he dismisses her nervousness. He refuses to repaper the room claiming that “nothing was worse for a nervous patient than give way to such fancies”. John disregards his wife’s feelings because he is the husband and he knows best. He doesn’t allow his wife any say in the way her condition is handled, subjecting her to the isolation of a bed rest cure. The rest cure forced upon the narrator combined with her obsession with the atrocious yellow wallpaper causes her mental stability to deteriorate. She finds her escape in the hideous yellow wallpaper that surrounds her in their room. The narrators over active imagination takes ahold when she looks at the wallpaper she sees faces in it. The resting cure and the repression of her ability to express her thoughts results in her seeing a woman in the paper trapped behind the bars. Throughout the short story the narrator falls deeper and deeper into madness and her husband remains completely ignorant to it. His myopic dependence in his medical expertise clouds his judgment leaving him completely unprepared for his wife’s mental breakdown in the end of the story.…

Story Of An Hour And The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis

Their mental illnesses may have been misdiagnosed, and their feelings often overlooked, but the stressors of their life triggered an outbreak of madness. For example, Mrs. Mallard was known for her pre-existing heart condition, yet excerpts from “The Story an Hour” suggest underlying insanity that was prompted by the realization of her desire for freedom. Moreover, the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” experiences levels of insanity through her imagination. Both protagonists experience delirium and brief freedom, but their desire for freedom leads to literal death and figurative death of each character.…

Yellow Wallpaper

While reading the short story, I came across a paragraph that gave me a clue of what the yellow wallpaper meant to her. She talks about how she discovers new findings by the day and therefore it gives her comfort. I think when she finally discovered what it was about the yellow wallpaper that drew her in, she made it her mission to rip it down. As she rips down the wallpaper it could relate to the fact that she has to tear herself apart to be free. She then questions herself, “… if they all [came] out of that wall-paper as [she] did?” (237). It is strange that she finds such frustration and relief from it. This resembles her, herself because she too is trapped into that home, within that room, and not being able to write. She mentions that there are many faces in the wallpaper, which tells me that these faces are women who are in the same position as her. She also says that “there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast” (237). This line describes her situation because she too is creeping on others as she is kept inside. I think the theme in this short story is about how women are not allowed to do certain things and how men are dominant. She wants to be a writer but her husband does not allow that due to her mental illness. Although the narrator has a mental illness, believes that inanimate objects come to life, and that she was trapped in the yellow wallpaper; She makes a point of how women live by men’s rules and how they are limited to the amount of things they are able to do.…

The Yellow Wallpaper Madness Essay

"The Yellow Wallpaper" begins with the arrival of narrator, her husband John, their new born baby, and her sister-in-law to summer house which John have rented. The narrator is suffering from post-partum depression, and the summer house will serve, according to her husband, as a place for her to get better.…

Yellow Wallpaper Fiction Essay

The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a young wife and mother who has recently began to suffer symptoms of depression and anxiety. She does not believe that anything is wrong with her but, John, her husband who is a physician, diagnoses her with neurasthenia and prescribes several months of “rest cure.” She is confined to the nursery in their rented summer home, the narrator is not allowed to write or engage in anything happening out of the house. She secretly writes in her journal and finds discomfort in the hideous wallpaper that covers the walls of the room.…

The Yellow Wallpaper Analytical Essay

Nora Helmer- Seems happy in the beginning of the play. Teasing Torwald, speaking that she is so excited that his job is giving him more money and loves their family and friends. She is just like a doll, pampered, perfect and pretty. Torwald refers to her as a “silly girl”. She understands the business details related to the debt she has accumulated by taking out a loan to preserve Torvald’s health says that she is brave and intelligent and shows how she is courageous by breaking the law for her husband.…

The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman And Susan Glaspell

The narrator eventually starts to notice a change in her psyche and becomes self-aware that she is still not feeling better; however, when she voices these opinions to her ever-loving husband, he says it is quite the contrary, “You are gaining flesh and color, your appetite is better, I feel really much easier about you” (652). John’s patronizing behavior towards his wife creates a worse situation than before because after the conversation the narrator has finally been convinced she is getting better. At this point, the narrator is wholly cut off from reality; her efforts of reasoning have been futile, so she attempts no more endeavors to prevent the madness that has steadily been creeping in. Visions she sees have escalated into full-blown delusions. She watches a woman in the wallpaper and at the end of the story rips at it an attempt to free her. The hysteria reaches its peak as readers discover that the narrator thinks she was the woman trapped in the wallpaper and is now free. The symbolism is prominent here as the woman in the wallpaper is the woman she views as…

Many authors use objects to represent more than their literal meanings. Literary devices such as this can create depth and enhance the reading experience. Specifically in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Symbolism is apparent and used to emphasize allegorical concepts.…

IMAGES

The Yellow Wallpaper infographic
Pin on Feminist Criticism
10+ Yellow Wallpaper Literary Analysis Pictures
The Yellow Wallpaper Thesis
the yellow wallpaper analysis 2020
Free download Yellow wallpaper literary analysis essay Gel Isolante [1275x1650] for your Desktop

VIDEO

Nightcore
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
Literary Criticism Analysis Walk-thru on "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Paper Walls
Kocak! Kaesang Puji Pembuat Wallpaper Ponsel dengan Foto Pak Jokowi
Let's Read The Yellow Wallpaper [Discussion]

COMMENTS

Analysis of 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by C. Perkins Gilman
In this interpretation, "The Yellow Wallpaper" becomes not just a story about one woman's madness, but a maddening system. At one point, the narrator observes the creeping women from her window and asks, "I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did?"
Literary Analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Essay Example
The narrator describes the wallpaper as yellow with a revolting and hideous pattern (Gilman 2). She sees bulbous images and what she describes as broken necks in the papers design. She asks her husband to change rooms; however he says that it is the best room for her recovery.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay - Free Samples & Outlines
The author Charlotte Perkins Gillman wrote the “The Yellow Wallpaper” to express her thoughts and frustration on women’s oppression and how women were being constantly mistreated in the 1800’s. Gilman’s purpose for writing “The Yellow Wallpaper” was to show how women were being treated not... The Yellow Wallpaper Book Review Literature Review
The Yellow Wallpaper Argumentative Essay Examples - Free ...
The Yellow Wallpaper is written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This story is about a young woman by the name of Jane who is a wife, trapped in a room. Jane suffers from depression following the birth of her child. Her husband, John, diagnoses her behavior as melancholia. He prescribes her rest and leases a house in the country for her rehabilitation.
The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis - Free Essay Example ...
“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a feminist short story by Charlotte Perkins- Gilman. The meaning of the story is beyond belief as it see the sights into the basic issues of a woman’s place in society, and women’s rights in the 19th century. Charlotte Perkins-Gilman’s theme behind the short story was an awareness approach and a feminist approach.
The Yellow Wallpaper: Essay Topics & Samples - Knowledge Base
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman at the end of the 19th century. It is considered to be one of the strongest and prominent feminist pieces of literature. These facts might be your first clue for choosing The Yellow Wallpaper essay topic. Try to look at this issue from your perspective.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay - Free Essays
The Yellow Wallpaper is a clear representation of life in the 19thcentury. During this period, women seem to have been under male domination, and society seems to have accepted this fact. Throughout the story, the narrator seems to be fighting to get a voice of her own.
The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis Essay - 653 Words | Studymode
The yellow wallpaper’s imagery indicates the narrator’s state of mind, her relationship with her husband and her life in general. In the story, the narrator seems to be a patient of some sort and she gets “nervous” very easily. She also seems to be very paranoid of things.
The Yellow Wallpaper Literary Analysis Essay
The Yellow Wallpaper: A Peek into the Postpartum Female Psyche Postpartum depression plagues many women after childbirth. This type of depression was not always recognized as a real problem. In the eerie story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses complex symbolism to portray the deteriorating mindset