English Prof Explains Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" in 2 Ways Analysis
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ย. 2023
- In this video, Dr. Whitney Kosters provides brief context on The Cult of True Womanhood, medical treatment of women in the nineteenth century, and Dr. Weir Mitchell’s rest cure in order to explain “The Yellow Wallpaper” from a feminist lens. In addition, a psychoanalytic interpretation is offered. Highlights of the video include the nature of John and the narrator’s marriage, the room in which the narrator is kept, the ever-changing state of the narrator’s mental health, identity, and how gender ideologies were designed as a form of control. #charlotteperkinsgilman #gilman #feminism #subtitles #subtitle #shortstory #americanliterature #theyellowwallpaper #mentalinstitution #lecture #psychoanalysis #yellow #wallpaper #thecultofdomesticity #thecultoftruewomanhood #truewoman #gendercodes #narrator #insanity #restcure #weirmitchell #whyiwrotetheyellowwallpaper #education #analysis #educate #interpretation #marriage #drweirmitchess
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Being an English major, I have read this story multiple times in pursuit of my bachelor’s degree. With that being said, I love how many different connotations of meanings I have heard regarding this text. I thought that you analyzed the text in such a unique and interesting way, and I have never heard anyone else interpret the story that way! The evidence you presented was utilized in an effective way, and I can see the way it works in support of the story. After reading this story last year, I heavily focused on the aspect of the title in relation to power. I found it interesting how both the narrator's brother and her husband were doctors, which is a very well-esteemed career. I thought it was interesting how despite the narrator knowing that she wasn’t feeling well, people who held higher titles in society were able to retract her feelings and replace it with their own opinion. Therefore, even though the narrator could express her sickness to others, they would most likely only listen to the person with credentials and a higher title in society. I thought that this story could also be analyzed in a way that represents that titles of prestige can overrule truth in some cases. Oftentimes, we can be quick to accept the words of an esteemed professional, without second guessing if they are right or wrong. Therefore, it puts a lot of power into the hands of people who are higher ranked in society.
I’m so glad the lecture gave you a new perspective!
I had never thought of her being a patient in a mental institution. This changes the entire story for me!
It's an unconventional way of reading it, but by far my favorite way. It's far more provocative than the feminist reading, which, of course, is valid, too.
I liked this story a lot it was a fun read, and the lecture had really good points on the interpretations of the story. I had two different interpretations for the story when reading it. When I was reading this story I was looking at it through the feminist lens due to settings and how the story was worded. I figured that John was forcing the narrator to be sick and locking her in room due to her knowing how to write, because back then it was not allowed for women to have education, or learn how to read or write. While I continue to read, I thought she was actually getting sick due to mold being in the room, the narrator talked about smooches on the wall and how it has a terrible smell, especially when it rained. So I thought she getting more sick and having hallucinations of women in the wallpaper or outside creeping around due to long exposure of it. And then when the part of the story where she was rambling on and sounding crazy. I just thought it was not mold anymore but her insanity finally getting the better of her. At the end of story it seemed like the wallpaper was a metaphor for the narrator skin, because I thought why would John faint if the wallpaper was torn off. Then I considered maybe she was tearing off her own skin, and it would make sense, due to the time period. Hospitals back then, mostly Asylum were not well kept, and they were known to have a dirty, unsanitary, living environments. So the yellow smooches can possibly be a disease that she got on her skin. This was my thought process when reading this story.
I love the mold theory! Yes, I've heard this before, too, and it makes a lot of sense with the unsanitary conditions that people were subjected to in asylums. Very well thought out!
Thank you Koster's for another great video! I found this analysis of "The Yellow Wallpaper" to be quite insightful. I really liked how you interpreted your own vision of the story, as this is exactly what I was thinking when I finished the story.
Thanks for sharing.
I really love your detailed explanation including the background information of the time the story was written. Thank you, it helped a lot ❤
I’m so glad it helped! Please be sure to check out some of my other videos for future help!
Thank you for a great detailed lecture! Your explanation was helpful and the background information help me understand the story better.
Glad it helped!
I found this lecture really compelling and helpful honestly. Although I will say, I initially found myself struggled to grasp the concept of the story while reading it, the lecture provided me with a deeper understanding. The narrative evoked a sense of sadness in me, particularly regarding the wife's subjugation by her husband. It appears she was experiencing postpartum depression, a condition that went unnoticed and exacerbated over time. I can empathize with this situation from personal experience, knowing firsthand how challenging and distressing it can be. Overall a very compelling story and a great read for anyone looking for a challenge.
Yes, it’s challenging, for sure, since there are so many ways to interpret it, and it is very confusing without historical context. Thanks for sharing.
amazing explanation.. thank you sm!
You are welcome! Thanks for watching!
The psychoanalytic curveball gave me some Shutter Island vibes, really enjoyed it!
It’s a cool way to read the story, no?! The evidence is there!
As we know in the story "The Yellow Wallpaper," John, the husband, has confined the unnamed woman into a room with yellow wallpaper. She was diagnosed with the rest cure and was forced to stay in this room. There is a lot of analysis possible within this story. To begin, a significant theme of this story is the power men hold over women during the late 19th century. John not only makes decisions about the unnamed woman's health but also, in a way, expresses the idea that women need a man to control them and help them. Women can not decide without a man's help; this physically drives the women insane. As stated in the lecture, this prevented women from occupying the public sphere, which really meant women weren't involved in the general society. They were just given tasks to complete and were ordered to care for their husbands. However, there is also the idea that the woman was ill herself and not because of the husband, but I believe it mainly was bought on by the husband and his actions to control her.
It’s a complex story with a lot of ambiguity, for sure!
this was amazing thank u so much for the insight !!!!!!!!
Thank you for watching! So glad it was helpful! I have many other lectures available if you need help in the future.
@@drwhitneykosters will definitely check them all out!!
What a cool interpretation....We are studuying this short story in college.
I hope this helped!
This is one of those stories you want to read more than once to really fully comprehend, the title itself holds so much as well after you've read the story once before. It perfectly describes the decline of ones mental health that also goes over the dependence of another as well. The ending is what really sold me, I found myself rather confused my first time reading, but this video also helped.
I’m glad to hear that!
The psychoanalytic interpretation took me by surprise, what a creative way to interpret the text! It feels even more eerie to read now by applying that theory. One aspect of the story that stood out to me was the author's specific decision to make the wallpaper yellow, a color that is generally known for its ability to evoke happiness and joy. To have a color that symbolizes joy mar the mind and room of a woman who is confined to it is a display of irony. Applying the psychoanalytic interpretation, I'd like to imagine the mental institution owners plastering every room with yellow wallpaper in an effort to inspire happiness in their patients. The irony lies in the fact that the wallpaper actually becomes physically and metaphorically tainted by insanity over time and occupation by several patients. This effectively transforms the yellow to symbolize artificial happiness or an attempt at it, which is essentially mania. This could be further exemplified by the narrator's gradual spiral into writing quite erratically. This was an incredible analysis, and I am really enjoying reading everyone else's interpretations. You helped me understand this story better. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this insight! Yellow has had such a variety of meanings throughout history. I tend to think of jaundice and being sickly. I wonder if that might also be what Gilman had in mind? And, yes! For me, I can’t “unsee” the psychoanalytic interpretation. It’s there… I love how there can be so many different ways to read a text. It’s so cool, no?!
I was taught that in the 1940-50s color theory was influencing psychology. Pink was thought to calm people. So we’re left with pink walls in old hospitals and schools
This was one of my favorite stories. This lecture helped me gain a better understanding regarding background information. In my opinion it was a devastating story. Despite gender roles being a major key point in the story, I was most drawn to the key point of the women's mental health. I also disagree that John's and the narrators relationship is not a loving one. I truly did not understand the symbolism of the yellow wallpaper before this lecture. However, I now understand that the yellow wallpaper is a symbol of the narrators mental state and experience. It's important to keep the theme of feminism also in mind, because it clarifies the limit women had regarding their own bodies, needs, and wants. The narrator becomes confused with her identity. Additionally I enjoyed the narrative style of this story, the first-person narrative. It provided me a deeper connection with the narrator. Since her thoughts and feelings were more expressed in this story.
Thanks for sharing!
On the first read of this story, before listening to the lecture, I assumed something was off for her mentally, but I was unsure what exactly she suffered from. When she obsessed over the yellow wallpaper and when she saw the woman in the wallpaper are what gave me this interpretation. Hearing this lecture, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of what she believed her reality consisted of was entirely fake. I could 100% understand if she’s locked up because she’s suffering from schizophrenia or some hallucinations and delusions. Thank you so much for this lecture. It changed how I saw the protagonist and her situation.
There are certainly multiple ways to understand her and her circumstances.
As someone who has struggled with an undetected mental health illness for a long time, this text truly spoke volumes to me. At an early age, people would dismiss my symptoms, and in particular, the men in my life didn't believe me until I was at my lowest point. The reading itself demonstrated how males still do this today-that is, how women are still rejected and treated with contempt when they speak up.
Yes, it needs to be understood more and addressed!
I really enjoyed this lecture above all. When reading this story it was a little bit complicated for me to understand, but after listening to this lecture I am able to understand the deeper meaning behind it. This story almost makes me feel sad with the way that the wife was controlled by her husband. It seems that she was going through postpartum depression and no one paid attention to it and it only got worse and I know from personal experience how awful this can be.
It's really hard to understand this story without historical context if you are reading it through the feminist literary point of view.
Food for thought!
Quite a bit to think about!
Holy cow. I can't believe it was considered "mental exercise". I don't know if this has ever come up in your discussions with women from other cultures, but I feel that in Mexico there is still a lot of misogyny. This isn't to say that its normalized, but just that there's a lot of it. I live in the US, having been brought here as a child, and I'm so glad I'm here. I'm not sure things would have gone well at all if I had stayed there 😔. I have an education, a family, and safety.
Thank you for the excellent insight into this story🎉.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Dr. Kosters for introducing this great story! This was a great story to read. When I first read the story, I never looked at her as a being in a mental institution. I just thought she was being punished for having somewhat of an education as it wasn't ideal for women to have any sort of education back in the day. I feel most women were looked at as being simple housewives and knowing their place within the home. Although it has been many years later, I do believe this still occurs in modern society in certain countries around the world.
Yes, it does. It’s horrifying.
After finishing this story and watching the video, I felt sad for the woman because of the position she was put it. It made me angry that her husband and brother made her believe she was going through a mental illness, when really, she felt unhappy about her limited opportunities in a Victorian Era. I know I would feel the same if my opportunities were limited. Thank you for the video, I thought it was helpful in breaking down the story!
Yes, this woman is in an extremely unfortunate position, no matter who she is.
I really like the two takes you had from this story, as they are 2 stories that have little to no relation. I really enjoy reading stories that have multiple meaning and interpretations, but the psychoanalytic meaning seems to be the true meaning. The feminist reasoning is also one that is very likely, it seems to tie in greatly with someone slowly going crazy in a mental asylum. In my previous classes I have heard of so many asylums that would unfairly diagnose people, which would cause them to go mad. This could be the narrator who, like many other people, have been forced to live in a mental asylum with little to no reason. Although it’s not the most relevant, it reminds me of the Salem witch trials, to where men would see a woman act a certain way, not considered the norm, they would assume they are a witch, and harm them. The different analysis really helped me understand the different themes in the story.
It’s fun reading literature in multiple ways, yeah?!
thank you !.
Thanks for watching!
It's a solid psychoanalysis of the text.
It's there, right?!
@@drwhitneykosters
Your voice remind me of an awesome psychiatric social worker manager that I worked for, except physically, your face is a bit longer than hers. (Don't feel bad; I have a longer face, too). But still, it was close enough to where I had to verify your name.
You rock! Keep on doing what you are doing. You are inspirational, to say the least. ❤️🖤
"The Yellow Wallpaper" has always confused me whenever I read it in the past back when i was in Grade School but now i finally get it. First off the Rest Cure and the everything regarding female "hysteria" during that time was really messed up and cruel, like I was actually flabbergasted that it was a real thing. But knowing about it all definitely did help me actually get the story cause I dont think me teachers ever mentioned anything about rest cures when I read it back in my school days. The dual interoperation of the novel either being about the Narrator being driven insane by the rest cure method see is being forced to partake in or the fact that she was always crazy and in a mental institution is my favorite fact regarding it. I do love when a story can have a many valid ways to be interpreted becuase it is always fun to theorize and speculate. I personally like the idea that the Narrator is in a insane asylum and is trying breaking out because it makes the Narrator extremely unreliable, and i do enjoy deceitful narrators.
It’s pretty stunning how people have been treated in the past. Sometimes it’s hard to believe when we read about the atrocities that were committed against people.
I know I read this years ago (and/or remember some presentation of it -movie, play). At that time I think I was aware of it being prominent in the early days of women's studies. Decades ago my personal intro to feminism was a bit more diverse and progressive perspective, so this was interesting seeing it many decades later and its point of reference; namely, the horrible situation of a relatively privileged person/people in society (white upper class women). I had thought it was from a century earlier given some of the repressive social references - (it sounded like something out of Jane Austin's England). Thinking of it as more allegorical, it even more powerful, and perhaps more disturbing regarding her oppressive circumstances, the larger social commentary, and its general hopelessness.
I definitely could see this being about a a mental institution, because that make sense too, and explains some of the inconsistencies or contradictions (e.g., taking about riding or walking in the garden, but instead seemingly locked in all the time, not just at the end). Regardless, it is still pretty chilling about the lack of agency for people with mental illness. And while nowadays there is clearly a the whole field of psychology exists and there are many more sophisticated ways of helping people, the narrator sounded like someone in the present day who might "need" medication or would be characterized as being "off their meds" - which itself is a whole struggle that many have in trying to maintain autonomy over their bodies. I've seen lots of sides of this and find it very confusing and completely beyond simple solutions. So maybe some of these "old" practices even still exist, but have taken on a new form? That's how some people feel about not wanting medical intervention, but it often results in very sad consequences.
I absolutely think there is a lot of exploitation, manipulation, and gaslighting that still occurs today. This woman's situation still exists somewhere, whether she be the wife or a patient in a hospital. This story is far more complex than I think a lot of readers give it credit for, and those complexities are the very things you are referencing when you talk about how mental illness is understood and treated, even today. Such an insightful comment. Thank you for sharing!
I have read and written about this story time and time over, but I have NEVER entertained the possibility of this woman being mentally ill before this account occurred.. I appreciate this video.
It’s there, isn’t it?! I can’t help but see it this way!
After seeing this lecture, it definitely solidified the message behind "The Yellow Wallpaper". Not only does it show the treatment of women when it comes to mental health, but also the relationship between the narrator and her husband where she is infantilized and not taken seriously. It also highlights the misogyny within the medical field, where misdiagnosis took place more often than not, and women having to truly express themselves in the form of literature or anything other than talking with professionals. Therefore, without a proper treatment or dismissing the real issue that were affecting women, it often lead to insanity that these women were dealing with, which could have been preventable in the first place with proper treatment.
Yes, it was very unfortunate.
I can only relate what I have to say about "The Yellow Wallpaper" in relation to another comment I read. That, throughout the entire story I don't believe it processed in my brain that it could've taken place in a mental institution. It's also quite apparent that this story was written to portray the cruel nature of men in the time period the story takes place. As John forcefully locks our protagonist into a room confined within the yellow wallpaper based on a diagnosis he deemed to be entirely accurate. Further reiterating that men in the 19th century were very much full of power and controlling of women.
Thanks for sharing!
I would not be surprised if everything the narrator experiences in this did not happen. That's my interpretation of the story because it would be the ultimate pushing of Gilman's point. She's supposed to come off as hysterical and having her actually be like that because of her husband, forcing her to be this way, adds a layer to this that i find really interesting.
Yes, I agree!
The one thing that stood out to me in this story was how discreet but well the author had showed the status of women in society during that time period. The women trapped in the yellow wallpaper could be a great symbol for how women were trapped in their houses and were not given many rights. The color yellow is said to be a symbol for cowardliness and I believe the author wanted to hint at how the men belittled women and resulted in their cowardly behaviors. I really enjoyed all the small details this story offered.
Thanks for sharing!
A very bizzare way to look at the yellow wallpaper, thanks for it Dr Koster
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
This story is very interesting and can be read through multiple lenses. One in specific is a feminist lense as it is easy to see how women are disregarded and not treated fairly in this story. It is clear that John is a manipulative figure who is aiming to downplay the severity of his wife's illness and forces her to think a certain way. There is an abundance of symbolism in this essay as every element can be interpreted and seen as a representation of something. Some items include the room, wallpaper, the window and the women depicted as hidden.
Yes, it’s a far more complex story than I think a lot of readers give it credit for.
"Never touch pen, brush, or pencil as long as you live"? I would go insane. How could that possibly have been a proposed cure back then? My heart aches for all of the artists, writers, and creatives who had their sparks snuffed out by this stupid thing.
Thankfully the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" picked up her pen and began writing, because it gives this story a very interesting quality of first-person writing that exists in-universe.
When the lecture stated that the moment in the text where the narrator wonders if all woman escaped from the wallpaper could be seen as her "rebellion," one thought immediately came to mind. Plato's Cave. The thought experiment where people are chained to the wall and can only see shadows dance on the wall opposite of them. Just as the narrator sees the specter of a woman on the wall. People escape from Plato's Cave to witness the true nature of the world, just as the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" escapes from the cult of domesticity.
Thanks for sharing!
When I first read this story and then watched the class lecture regarding this short-story reading, there were two completely, opposite perspectives in my head. First and foremost, I thought the narrator was going mad and began suffering from some sort of psychotic breakdown for being practically incarcerated. I thought this to be the case when it was noted that she felt as if she could see a woman in the wallpaper, as if she was hallucinating. In addition to this, I also thought that the woman behind the wallpaper was a dead body that the asylum doctors had hid from the public's eye. There was so much going on and when I finally got to watching the class lecture regarding this short-story reading, I had a profound sense of clarity with who the woman behind the wallpaper symbolizes and represents which, according to the class lecture is "The specter of the self who can never exist in the Cult of Domesticity." Furthermore, I also find it asinine and infuriating that a doctor of Perkin's time by the name of Weir Mitchell invented a treatment for nervous women called "the rest cure" which was reported to last between 6-8 weeks total. To think that "nervous women" actually had to go through this unfortunate treatment is just very sad to think about. I dislike the early days of 1800s medicine and psychiatry of when doctors or psychiatrists would just lazily and negligently label people as "nervous" because I feel that this was very unforgiving and shameful to do so. Lastly, I think that during Gilman's time when "nervous women" like herself were subjected to the rest cure by doctors, I feel that Gilman illustrates the therapeutic technique that was the rest cure as medical misogyny in the patriarchal society that was present during Gilman's time. Thank you once again for the insightful class lecture Professor Kosters!
Thank you for sharing!
Hey I want to make a request, can you please give your analysis on the story the singing lesson, please
Done. Please check it out! th-cam.com/video/JcZOkeehulE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hpPgJehWajtze8aR
The story was good, but this reflection made me like it even more
Oh, thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Question! If John mostly wanted her confined to the room and isolated, why does he tell her to roam the gardens and get outside? It seems sunlight could help her mental illness in a smaller capacity, even so then she may not be as easily manipulated
Hi! Well, if we’re reading this from the psychoanalytical point of view, I’d say because that was often a standard part of a patient’s day. But, if we’re reading it from a feminist point of view (i.e., John and the narrator are married), then it’s because they moved to the country for her health, which was something many people did to get away from the smog and dirty cities. The fresh air was supposed to work wonders on one’s health.
I first heard about this story through the show american horror story. The definition was brief but it really stood out to me I just never got around to reading it. Im glad i got the chance to do so in this course, I really enjoyed the book it was sad and strange. I disliked the husband and his treatment towards his wife and how his opinions was the only one considered. Back then it must have been awful being a woman because men ran the world. She got worse because the seclusion from the outside world and her feelings being written of as hysteria. The world is still run on the patriarchy but it has gotten extremely better over time and thanfully women are not bound to the life portrayed in the story anymore.
This is a perfect story for a show like American Horror Story!
I believe she was isolated for so long that she developed some delusions and hallucinations. The rest cure sounds more like a punishment than a cure. It's difficult for me to say if it was all due to bad intentions or honest mistakes. Since women were perceived as fragile and overly emotional, I suppose it would make sense to keep them indoors and have a caretaker because of their "fragility" but at the same time it gets rid of the "problem" so that no one else has to deal with it. I'd like to think it was ignorance but women were seen as inferior so it's a toss up.
Thanks for sharing!
Until today it seems that the choices for women's bodies is being made by men... Looking into the story from the Narrator's eyes she is assigned the "rest cure" by force by her husband, who is also her doctor. As her husband, John doesn't seem to do a good job at trying to understand his wife's wants and needs. As her doctor, John seems to diagnose his wife with what seems more of a "shut up" diagnosis. We as readers are witnessing a mental breakdown occur. As a woman, I feel that this downfall could have been avoided had her husband had he sat down and spoken to his wife. Taking into consideration the years in which the story was written and how men looked at their wives and families as property, the communication was bound to be lacking considering woman were simply expected to care for the house and just that. No ability to speak up for themselves, thus resulting in a spiral mental breakdown. However, the clarity and explanation of the narrator possibly being a mental patient definitely has me wanting to go back and give this story another read...
Choices over women’s bodies are still being made today (The overturning of Roe v Wade) . It’s really unfortunate.