Yellow Wallpaper

Words: 1332
Pages: 6

The wife in the yellow wallpaper is middle-aged and has just given birth to her first child. Forced to live in a nice home, she is secluded from all its pleasures and her child. She is a well-educated and aspiring writer who is struggling with more than just postpartum depression. The symptoms of postpartum depression match the client's case perfectly, such as mood swings, crying, appetite problems, and anxiety (Depression Information Postpartum from the Mayo Clinic by Mayo Clinic Staff). She also expressed feelings of imprisonment and a sense of being watched and controlled. She showed an obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her room, describing it as “repelling” and “horrid.” On top of that, she also took part in secretive acts such as …show more content…
He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him. Of course, it is only nervousness. It does weigh on me not to do my duty in any way! I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already! Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able—to dress and entertain, and order things.” (The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Pg 3) This quote shows how the expectations have been unfairly placed to the point where she is blaming herself for the wrongdoings of others. At the time of this story, societal expectations are restricted specifically for women, and this is the main cause of the client's downfall. In addition, the symbol of the yellow wallpaper serves as a representation of the client's imprisonment caused by the toxic social environment. The wallpaper becomes a symbol of her deteriorating mental state as she obsessively fixates on it, seeing a trapped woman trying to break free. She provides proof of this when she says “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