“The Yellow Wallpaper” is an interesting story which explores the story of a woman who moves into a generally secluded estate in the country for a few months upon the recommendation of her husband, a doctor. Her husband brings her to this estate, because he believes that a change in environment will facilitate recovery from her illness, “temporary nervous depression.” As a husband, John has full control over his wife's treatment as he bans her from carrying out any task that involves work particularly writing which the woman enjoys doing. She continues to write secretly without her husband seeing because she has faith that it will help her overcome her illness. Although the woman wants to live in the rooms downstairs which had beautiful views, John pays no regard to her desires and leads her into a large room which appeared to have been a nursery since there were barred windows and a disturbing yellow wallpaper. Meanwhile, the woman mentions that her husband does not seem to realize how much distress her disease caused her and points out her troubled feelings that arise from her acknowledgment that she is a burden to John. In addition to all the restrictions that John has placed, the woman is not allowed to go outside which her husband claims will make her illness get worse since her imagination will drive her into trouble. Since she was confined in the room, the woman spends a lot of time observing the bizarre yellow wallpaper and its distinctive patterns. During her observations, the woman starts to gain new insights about the yellow wallpaper to the point that she starts to see a lady trapped behind bars in the wallpaper. The oddness of the wallpaper makes the woman consider leaving the house, but her husband does not understand. Desiring to save the trapped lady, the woman starts to peel off the yellow wallpaper and starts creeping on the floor. Her husband watches from the doorway and faints as she proclaims her freedom, “And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back” ("The Yellow Wallpaper"). The story ends with the lady continuing to creep around the room.
Beyond the surface level, there is deep meaning to this story which points out to the gender inequality that women faced in early patriarchal societies especially in the 19th century. Women were held inferior to men and literally had no say in their life as men always made the decisions for them. When a woman was married off, she officially became under the authority of her husband and was expected to obey and respect him at all times. Critics also recognize this matter in this essay as they assert, "Within the subtext of this story lies the theme of oppression: the oppression of the rights of women especially inside of marriage" (Greene). Charles Perkins Gilman conveys the idea of gender inequality in “The Yellow Wallpaper” mainly through symbolism and details. For one, woman’s role as second class citizens was evident in the fact that John made all the decisions for the woman's treatment. Even though the woman had her own opinions and desires, John paid no attention to them. Moreover, one can see throughout the story that the woman readily accepts her husband's authority over her and viewed his decisions as the final word. In fact, she questions, “what is one to do?” repeatedly throughout the story which depicts her submission to her husband. As mentioned, symbolism is the heart of this story especially since the yellow wallpaper serves as a representation of the subordination of women in society. This idea of gender roles is especially evident in the fact that the woman starts seeing a trapped women in the wallpaper. Being “trapped” explicitly describes the condition of women in 19th century societies when women mainly stayed confined at home carrying out household duties and taking care of the children. According to critics, "The story illustrates the damage done to women who accept the patriarchal view. Literature offered Gilman an opportunity to challenge the restrictions imposed on women" (Wiedemann). Furthermore, women were shunned from furthering their education and pursuing careers which put limitations on their capabilities and what they could do in life. This feeling of confinement is especially evident in the case of the female character in “The Yellow Wallpaper” because she stays inside the house all day without being able to do anything which ultimately causes her to find fascination in the wallpaper. On the other hand, her husband is always outside the home without any restrictions on what he can do. Therefore, John and the woman in this short story are clear symbols of the typical married men and women during the 19th century. Moreover, the fact that John places so much constraints on his wife ultimately drives her into insanity. More than anything, the woman wishes for a way to exercise her thought but her husband's bans keep her from achieving her desires. Since the yellow wallpaper was a representation of gender inequality and a lady like her was trapped in there, the woman ends up tearing the wallpaper which symbolizes equality. Essentially, “The Yellow Wallpaper” revolves around the theme of the inferiority of women.
Beyond the surface level, there is deep meaning to this story which points out to the gender inequality that women faced in early patriarchal societies especially in the 19th century. Women were held inferior to men and literally had no say in their life as men always made the decisions for them. When a woman was married off, she officially became under the authority of her husband and was expected to obey and respect him at all times. Critics also recognize this matter in this essay as they assert, "Within the subtext of this story lies the theme of oppression: the oppression of the rights of women especially inside of marriage" (Greene). Charles Perkins Gilman conveys the idea of gender inequality in “The Yellow Wallpaper” mainly through symbolism and details. For one, woman’s role as second class citizens was evident in the fact that John made all the decisions for the woman's treatment. Even though the woman had her own opinions and desires, John paid no attention to them. Moreover, one can see throughout the story that the woman readily accepts her husband's authority over her and viewed his decisions as the final word. In fact, she questions, “what is one to do?” repeatedly throughout the story which depicts her submission to her husband. As mentioned, symbolism is the heart of this story especially since the yellow wallpaper serves as a representation of the subordination of women in society. This idea of gender roles is especially evident in the fact that the woman starts seeing a trapped women in the wallpaper. Being “trapped” explicitly describes the condition of women in 19th century societies when women mainly stayed confined at home carrying out household duties and taking care of the children. According to critics, "The story illustrates the damage done to women who accept the patriarchal view. Literature offered Gilman an opportunity to challenge the restrictions imposed on women" (Wiedemann). Furthermore, women were shunned from furthering their education and pursuing careers which put limitations on their capabilities and what they could do in life. This feeling of confinement is especially evident in the case of the female character in “The Yellow Wallpaper” because she stays inside the house all day without being able to do anything which ultimately causes her to find fascination in the wallpaper. On the other hand, her husband is always outside the home without any restrictions on what he can do. Therefore, John and the woman in this short story are clear symbols of the typical married men and women during the 19th century. Moreover, the fact that John places so much constraints on his wife ultimately drives her into insanity. More than anything, the woman wishes for a way to exercise her thought but her husband's bans keep her from achieving her desires. Since the yellow wallpaper was a representation of gender inequality and a lady like her was trapped in there, the woman ends up tearing the wallpaper which symbolizes equality. Essentially, “The Yellow Wallpaper” revolves around the theme of the inferiority of women.