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"THE YELLOW WALLPAPER" |
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BY: CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN |
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Written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, (pictured on the left) "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a social criticism of the treatment of mentally ill women, focusing specifically on those suffering from postpartum depression. My personal reaction to the story was of confusion and frustration initially, mainly because the author chronicles the narrator's failing mental stability through a deterioration of language and inclusion of hallucinations experienced by the patient. However, towards the end of our class discussions, I began to have a greater appreciation for the social and literature aspect of the story and grew to respect it. |
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| Contrary to her mind-boggling creation, a dignified Charlotte Perkins Gilman |
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PUZZLING ENIGMAS |
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There were many questions that arose during my readings of "The Yellow Wallpaper." The following is a list (though not comprehensive) of my many queries:
*Who is Jane? Is she the narrator in the story? Is she the woman in the wallpaper? Is she a creation of the insane character's mind? Is she an accidental typo and actually a reference to Jennie, the patient's maid? Is she..?
*What truly is this place that John brings his wife to? Is it really a summer escape, or is it possibly a mental asylum? If it is, what are the motives of John for keeping this a secret?
*Is the woman in the wallpaper a figment of the narrator's imagination? Or is it a vague pattern that happens to form the shape of a woman? For that matter, is this woman visible to everyone else (i.e. Jennie and John) or is it something that only the narrator notices?
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a visualization of my mind when I first read "The Yellow Wallpaper"-grey, thoughts running in unheard of directions, and most importantly, the lingering image of yellow |
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