The Yellow Wallpaper

A detailed Summary of The Yellow Wallpaper

The main character in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a young, feeble woman, who is loved, yet repressed, by her husband, John. In response to John's unchallengeable request that she rest in seclusion in order for her to recuperate from an undiagnosed illness, she begins to illustrate signs of insanity. Being left alone in a large, airy bedroom, occupying most of the top floor of an old colonial mansion, leaves her with little to do but contemplate the lurid, yet mesmerizing patterns of the room's yellow-colored wallpaper. This infatuation ultimately causes the heroin, who is also the narrator, to exhibit the symptoms of hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions of grandeur.

It is the narrator's hallucinations that begin the downward spiral towards her insanity. After two weeks of near isolation, with the wallpaper as her only companion, she begins to believe that she sees more than the unstructured, uncertain curves of the pattern. She believes she can distinguish not something, but someone, in the paper. This becomes very clear when she tells us, "But in the places where is isn't faded and where the sun is just so-I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure" (670). As the illusions begin to

Again, she mentions that, "I have seen her sometimes away off in the open country, creeping as fast as a cloud shadow in a high wind" (676).

Keeping these hallucinations a secret for herself eventually leads her to become paranoid. Paranoia is a suspicion of fear or mistrust believed by a mentally ill person by others. This fear can come from another person, known or unknown to the paranoid, or from a nonhuman force or entity. The narrator demonstrates clear signs of paranoia when her dedicated caregiver Jennie asks to spend the night in order to keep our heroin company throughout the night. She tells us, "Jennie wanted to sleep with me-the sly thing! But I told her I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone. That was clever, for really I wasn't alone a bit!" (677). And when she catches Jennie actually touching her wallpaper, she reveals that she is not satisfied with Jennie's innocent answer when she says, "I know she was studying that pattern, and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself" (674). She also becomes suspicious and paranoid of her husband and tells us, "He asked me all sorts of questions, too, and pretended to be very loving and kind. As if I couldn't see through him", and "John is so queer now, that I don't want to irritate him. Besides, I don't want anybody to get that woman out at nig

Some common words found in the essay are:
Yellow Wallpaper, Jane I've, , yellow wallpaper, discover secret, sense superiority, delusions grandeur,

Approximate Word count = 908
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

"Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
Jack M.
"With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
Brian P.
"I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
Sara J.
"I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
Rachel W.
"I love this site!!!"
Marie N.

The Yellow Wallpaper

Related Essays

Professional Essays

Saved Paper

Newest Essays

Testimonials