...Treatment of Postpartum Depression The short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman brings to light the mistreatment of women’s mental health issues in the late nineteenth century in the American society. Rena Korb is a writer and editor says, “’The Yellow Wallpaper’ commands attention not only for the harrowing journey into madness it portrays, but also for its realism” ("The Yellow Wallpaper" 284). In the story "The Yellow Wallpaper," a woman falls into postpartum depression and her doctor recommended a treatment called the “rest cure,” which contributed to her madness because her condition was not yet understood and therefore never diagnosed. The story "The Yellow Wallpaper” was based on Gilman’s personal experience...
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...Charlotte Gilman spent much of her life struggling with the effects of postpartum depression. A popular treatment for mental illness at the time was known as the rest cure. This treatment instructed patients, primarily women, to drop all responsibilities and to stay confined in their households. Creative thought, including discussion of their disease, was prohibited. Supporters of this cure believed that the best treatment was to ignore the problem (Jago, Shea, Scanlon, and Aufses, 1066). In Gilman’s short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator suffers from a scenario extremely similar to that of the author. Unable to discuss the narrator's illness directly, Gilman comments on depression and criticizes the sexist and ineffective use of the...
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...The Baby Yellows “The Yellow Wallpaper”, a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an unnerving tale about a woman and her spiral into psychosis. Mirroring the author’s actual experiences with depression and the “resting cure”, the story criticizes medical care that ignores patient concerns and deprives them of emotional outlets that could have been beneficiary towards a healthy mind. Set in the late nineteenth century, “The Yellow Wallpaper” illustrates the psychological effects of the popular “resting cure” and how the narrator is influcenced by it. While the illness the narrator has is never actually said, it is very heavily implied that she is suffering from postpartum depression. Eventually, her husband’s reliance on the “resting cure” and denying her healthy mental activities is what causes her depression to grow into postpartum psychosis. Postpartum depression is a form of depression typically affecting women after childbirth. Symptoms of postpartum depression include hallucinations and delusions, extreme agitation or anxiety, overwhelming fatigue, bizarre behavior, mood swings, inability or refusal to eat or sleep, and over worrying about the infant. The narrator showcases all of these symptoms, leading to the heavy assumption that she is suffering from postpartum depression. The narrator regularly experiences hallucinations, seeing a woman trapped behind bars in the pattern of the wallpaper. Gilman writes, “The front pattern does move- and no wonder! The woman...
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...Consider “The Yellow Wallpaper” As A Feminist Text Before the 20th century, women were mostly controlled by men. Men chose the women’s role for them. Most women suffered from this, but a majority of it came from the lower and middle classes. Men controlled women and made them feel like they were trapped, or in prison. In present time this would be an issue, but in the 19th century and before, this was so common that it was seen as normal. Women were to be home serving their families. The men made them into servants. Women were led to believe that their duty in this world was to serve their man. Many women were unable to breakaway from this lifestyle because of the strong religious beliefs they had. If they had any desires to leave or not do as they were told, they would think they were sinning and letting down God. When the “Yellow Wallpaper” first came out, many were surprised and thought that such a story shouldn’t have been shared. It was described as insane and crazy and wasn’t an accurate description of society. Some Men refused to allow their wives to read it, thinking that it could lead them to start believing in other things. People were shocked by the story but quickly played it off as a fictional story. Some women who read it started envisioning a different life. "The ideal woman was not only assigned a social role that locked her into her home, but she was also expected to like it, to be cheerful and gay, smiling and good humored" (Lane, To Herland 109). At the...
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...Postpartum depression can lead to many other health issues including one very dangerous illness; psychosis. However, in the case of Jane, the narrator in, “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” her problem was developed by other means. The narrator’s psychosis following her postpartum depression was developed as a product of her environment. This is proven through the yellow wall paper that she is forced to see everyday. Also, the way John deals with Jane is an element that effected her to become delusional. Lastly, the “resting treatment” and other ways her depression was treated lead Jane to psychosis. In conclusion, the ending mental state of the narrator, Jane, was not her fault at all, but instead the fault of exterior causes. The yellow wall-paper...
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...“THE YELLOW WALLPAPER” BY CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN Introduction In the late nineteenth century, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1973) wrote “The Yellow Wall Paper”. This story can make a readers' mind think just by the way this story presents the main character of a woman and her ordeals as she lived a secluded life, as well as how her relationship with the man in her life is dealt. Some readers might think she is crazy and some may think she is depressed. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's, "The Yellow Wallpaper" is the story of a woman's descent into madness as the result of being isolated as a form of "treatment" when suffering from post-partum depression. The author, who is believed to be narrator as well, talks about her personal travel in to the world where an illness has brought her. All her thought and feelings are written in a journal and as she goes down in to the world that she has created in the confines of the room where she was kept. The story line presents that the narrator's mental condition is getting worse, leading to psychosis. Gilman explains the complexities of woman nature as she uses symbolisms to define the psychological realms of the plot. “The Yellow Wallpaper” The unnamed woman in this story (believed to be the author herself) fantasies about the yellow wallpaper are driving her mad. The protagonist experienced hallucinations and persistent thoughts over things. Crawling women, colorful artwork and a moving pattern depict the narrator's increased anxiety...
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...“The Yellow Wallpaper" is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The story is set in the late nineteenth century in America. It is a first person point of view of what disconnection and insanity can lead to. Many people believe this is a semi-autobiography of Gilman’s mental illness and treatment approach. In the story, Gilman takes the readers into the psyche of a young wife and mother, Jane, whom is powerless in her insecurities which no one truly understands or makes the attempt to try and understand. Her husband, John, has moved her to the country to recover from her illness. John is a physician who is trying to treat Jane for being “nervous”. Although his intentions are good, he goes about it in the wrong way. Dismissing any wishes she may have and not allowing her to express her feelings and or opinions. For example, Jane wants to be in a different room. The narrator states, “I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted the one downstairs that opened onto the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hanging! But John would not hear of it.” (pg. 346) Making an assumption from what Jane reveals, she is not able to care for her newborn child and has now fallen in to an extremely emotionally unstable state. "It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous." (pg. 346-47. Gilman) Her husband, John, and the other people in her life, don't think she should do anything...
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...The Culture of The Yellow Wallpaper Through her many stories, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, developed the notion of how being a strong independent woman can be inspirational to all. The expression of her personal feelings and opinions behind the guise of a seemingly fictional story brings new life to the story itself. During the nineteenth century, there were many stereotypes of what was expected from women. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” Gilman composes the story of a woman who suffers from postpartum depression and finds an infatuation with a wall covered with yellow wallpaper. Seeing that Gilman herself has experienced this form of mental illness, we can analyze the context of the text and see the reflection of her own life through...
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...With over 200 written works, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s career as a writer is a force to be reckoned with. Many of her works, such as the ever popular The Yellow Wallpaper, are considered classics and remain relevant in today’s society. Gilman is most popular for her work deciphering women’s roles and treatment in society in the past and during her life. Gilman’s works are relatable to all women who have experienced or are experiencing oppression by society. Gilman’s feminist outlook is clearly seen in her academic works as well as her short stories. Especially in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, feminism was starting to accumulate among women of all ages. Gilman has been compared to other great feminist writers such as Simone de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan and they all share a common theme: their personal life correlates with their writing. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s personal struggles with oppression contribute to her success as a feminist writer, as exemplified in her works Women and Economics, Herland and The Yellow Wallpaper; Gilman’s controversial opinions on male dominated societies and women's rights label her as an icon for implementing social change in the 18th/19th century because she steers away from traditional Victorian gender roles. Born in Hartford, Connecticut on July 3rd, 1860, growing up was difficult for Gilman and her brother as her parents split due to their different views on women’s rights. Her father’s family was very liberal and believed in freedom...
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...The Yellow Wallpaper was written by the prominent American feminist, Charlotte Gilman. It was published on January of 1892 and has been read by millions of people over the years. This story attempts to give a man perspective so he can further understand the struggles of being a woman. Gilman uses Syntax, Diction, and Figurative Language to develop her theme, which is that women want to have the same rights as men and to be as highly portrayed. Gilman uses excellent structure throughout her story, and the sentence functionality is used correlate to the story in a very interesting way while proving her point that women deserve more respect. Later, as the character begins to 'fall apart', you can notice that the Syntax creativity does as well. The story begins a little more playfully with the punctuation and long clauses: "John is a physician, and perhaps - (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind) -perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster" (Gilman, 1). This is a reference to her feministic points of view, stating...
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...Charlotte Gilman uses her experience with postpartum depression to create a short story called “The Yellow Wallpaper”, that describes a woman with hallucinations from confinement. The narrator's husband, John, is a doctor who belittles his wife as if she’s a child, which is only normal for this time period. While the narrator is trapped in a room with yellow wallpaper, she realizes there is more than one woman trapped behind the wall, it symbolizes she is not the only individual dealing with this problem. By writing this story, the author is not only condemning the narrator's husband, John, but the whole society of the 19th century. In Charlotte Gilman’s story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator and her husband have an unequal relationship, her husband is controlling and domineering, and themes in this story prove society of the 19th century was not much better....
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...The Yellow Wallpaper: A Woman's Struggle Pregnancy and childbirth are very emotional times in a woman's life and many women suffer from the "baby blues." The innocent nickname for postpartum depression is deceptive because it down plays the severity of this condition. Although she was not formally diagnosed with postpartum depression, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) developed a severe depression after the birth of her only child (Kennedy et. al. 424). Unfortunately, she was treated by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, who forbade her to write and prescribed only bed rest and quiet for recovery (Kennedy et al. 424). Her condition only worsened and ultimately resulted in divorce (Kennedy and Gioia 424). Gilman's literary indictment of Dr. Mitchell's ineffective treatment came to life in the story "The Yellow Wallpaper." On the surface, this gothic tale seems only to relate one woman's struggle with mental illness, but because Guilman was a prominent feminist and social thinker she incorporated themes of women's rights and the poor relationships between husbands and wives (Kennedy and Gioia 424). Guilman cleverly manipulates the setting to support her themes and set the eerie mood. Upon first reading "The Yellow Wallpaper," the reader may see the relationship between the narrator and her husband John as caring, but with examination one will find that the narrator is repeatedly belittled and demeaned by her husband. On first arriving at the vacation home John chooses...
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...Freud, Jung, and Hippocrates in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Tentative thesis: In "The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator suffers post-partum depression, which has been proven to be a legitimate ailment. However, the narrator's disease is made worse because her husband and brother are not aware that the narrator's condition is a medical one, thus "The Yellow Wallpaper" is to make readers aware of this illness through her various psychological issues. Freud’s Theory of “Id” o The narrator’s Id is her journal, and fixation on the wallpaper and haunted aspect of the house. She get pleasure out of this and ends up obsessing over the one aspect of her life that she gains pleasure. o Sigmund Freud said you could hallucinate...
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...known feminist writers and social reformers. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” Gilman uses exaggerated literary elements such as setting, symbolism, and character to illustrate the dangers of the mistreatment and disregard of female intelligence during the early 19th century. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born on July 3, 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut. Gilman grew up in Providence, Rhode Island with her mother after having been abandoned by her father. Gilman’s mother refused to show any form of comfort or affection towards her daughter because her mother believed that this made women weak and did not want that for Charlotte. Gilman’s mother however would, on rare occasion, caress her daughter while...
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...As Gilman loses touch with herself and the outer world, she starts to realize her reality of her life. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a women suffers from postpartum depression and is prescribe the resting cure. As she is doing what her husband, an outstanding doctor, has told her to do, she becomes increasingly depressed and soon this results in her losing her insanity. As she losses her way of expressing herself and is doing what the doctor says, she is expected to conform to the doctor and the world around her. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman she illustrates women’s struggles through this story by using symbolism, theme, and irony. The wallpaper is a symbol used throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The author states, “The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smoldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight” (649). The way this is worded can...
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