Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Gilman Essays (1505 words) - Fiction

Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Gilman ?The Yellow Wallpaper? is about a creative woman whose talents are suppressed by her dominant husband. His efforts to oppress her in order to keep her within society's norms of what a wife is supposed to act like, only lead to her mental destruction. He is more concerned with societal norms than the mental health of his wife. In trying to become independent and overcome her own suppressed thoughts, and her husbands false diagnosis of her; she loses her sanity. One way the story illustrates his dominance is by the way he, a well-know and established doctor who should know better than to diagnose a family member, diagnoses her as having a temporary nervousness condition and what he prescribes for her illness, which is bed rest. Without asking her, he takes her to their summer home to recover from an illness that he doesn't believe she has. He tells her there is ?no reason? why she feels the way she does; she should get rid of those ?silly fantasies.? In saying this to her, he is treating her like a child who doesn't really know how she feels, thus making her doubt herself. When she tries to tell him what she needs, she is completely shut out and ignored. ?I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus?but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad.? This statement has a two-fold meaning, in the first part of the sentence he reveals part of his insecurity problem. He is not interested in getting her help because he doesn't want her illness to be resolved with the right support. But in treating her with just bed rest, he is forcing her to dwell on her problems, which is just the opposite of what he wanted. In the second part of the sentence, it seems as though the woman doesn't want to believe what her husband is telling her thus setting the stage for her rebellion. All her husband wants her to do is rest and sleep: he even suppresses her creative talent by not allowing her to write. She is in constant fear of being caught by her husband; ?I must put this away, -he hates to have me write a word.? It seems as though John is being more of a father than a husband and because of this, she feels that she should be a ?good girl? and appreciate what he is doing for her even though she knows that his diagnosis is killing her. ?He takes all care from me, and I feel so basely ungrateful not to value it more?He took me in his arms and called me blessed little goose This is a clear indication of someone trying to run another person's life. By him not allowing her to write he is causing her depression to worsen. If she had been ?allowed? to come and go as she pleased, her depression may have lifted: ?I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve, the press of ideas and rest me.? Her husband is suppressing the one major outlet that will help her get better in her seclusion, ?writing.? By absolutely forbidding her to work until she is well again he is imprisoning her and causing her depression. John has made her a prisoner not only in their home but also in their marriage. Her opinions are not taken into consideration she's not even allowed to take care of her child. He imprisoned her in a room with bars on the windows and a ?great immovable bed:? that is ?nailed down.? She has no say in the location or decoration of the room, ? I don't like our room a bit. I wanted?But John would not hear of it. She can't even have visitors: ?It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work?but he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now.? The description of the room symbolizes what he's doing to her. The room is striped of all beauty and creativity. It is a conservative, conformative, sterile atmosphere, everything that he wants her to be. Everything that might help her is deliberately kept from her. He has isolated her and is continuing to force his therapy on her