"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a landmark short story that addresses the themes of mental illness, gender roles, and the oppressive nature of the societal expectations placed on women in the late 19th century. It is narrated in the first person by a woman who is experiencing severe postpartum depression, and it is presented as a series of journal entries.
The story begins with the narrator and her husband, John, moving into a colonial mansion for the summer. John, a physician, has prescribed a rest cure for his wife, confining her to a room in the house and forbidding her from engaging in any mental stimulation or creative activity. The narrator is not allowed to write, read, or work, all of which are activities she loves and believes would help her recover. She is also separated from her baby, another source of distress for her.
The room she is confined to has yellow wallpaper that she initially finds ugly and disturbing. As the story progresses, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the wallpaper. She spends hours staring at its intricate patterns, convinced that there is a woman trapped behind the paper, struggling to break free. Her journal entries reflect her growing obsession and descent into madness.
John dismisses her concerns and feelings, attributing them to her weak nerves and insisting that rest and isolation are what she needs. This patriarchal and condescending attitude exacerbates her condition, as she feels more and more trapped and powerless.
As the narrator's obsession with the wallpaper deepens, she begins to see the woman in the wallpaper moving, shaking the bars of her prison. She becomes determined to free this woman, believing that doing so will free herself as well. Her mental state deteriorates further, and she starts to believe that she is the woman in the wallpaper.
In the climax of the story, the narrator locks herself in the room and tears down the wallpaper in a frenzy, believing she has finally freed the woman inside. When John breaks into the room, he finds his wife crawling around the room, having completely lost touch with reality. The story ends with John fainting, and the narrator continuing to creep around the room, stepping over him.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a powerful critique of the treatment of women and mental illness in the 19th century. Gilman drew on her own experiences with postpartum depression and the rest cure to write this story. It highlights the devastating effects of the lack of autonomy and the oppressive treatment of women, and it remains a poignant and relevant work in discussions about mental health and gender roles.