The Yellow Wallpaper

A detailed Summary of The Yellow Wallpaper

"The Yellow Wallpaper", by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is the story of a submissive wife whose husband pushes her from depression into insanity. The husband is a doctor, whose treatment for his wife's apparent post-partum depression is slowly driving her mad. This treatment involves isolation and deprivation of her writing, her favorite thing to do. The woman tells throughout the story how she disagrees with the diagnosis given by her husband and how she must hide her writing for fear of what his reaction would be. She tells of her depression and how her husband and brother dismiss it as "temporary nervous depression"(431). She reveals that she is indeed depressed due to resentment toward her husband and possibly, men in general, for the dominance they assert over her as a woman. Even when a summer in the country and weeks of bed-rest don't help, her husband refuses to accept that she may have a real problem. This causes him to enforce his treatments more strictly, thus causing her to go insane. This story shows that even when one is up against extraordinary odds, the will of a person will triumph over a repressive situation.

As the main character of the story, the narrator tries to be positive, but has great difficulty pu

The internal conflict in the story is the narrator's female nature being suppressed by what she must do to keep her husband content. Her situation is a kind of imprisonment and her husband is the warden. She struggles with herself by doing what is requested of her, but undoing these requests when her warden is not there. She is instructed to get plenty of rest, but does not sleep. She is not permitted to write while she is recovering, but is secretively defiant. Her writing is a way of rebelling against the forced isolation and sensory deprivation she is experiencing. Though her husband and her brother are both physicians, she questions their prescriptions. Treading softly takes it's toll on her and finally drives her to insanity - her freedom. The external conflict is that of a woman's role in a male dominated society and the effect submissive behavior can have on one's life.

This story takes place in New England, America in the late 19th century, which is a key element in understanding how and why the narrator thinks and acts as she does. By knowing the era in which the story is set, one can only assume that her problems do not only stem from an apparent post-partum depression. Rather, her unhappiness came from a male dominance that was common in that time. Perhaps the strongest and most telling element of the woman's situation is her immediate location. She is confined to a country estate that is fairly glorious, but has been left in a state of certain disrepair. The yellow wallpaper in her room is haunting and leads the woman to believe that there are people creeping about and shaking bars behind the designs. Bars on the windows note that certain prison-like atmosphere and enhance her thoughts of being repressed by

Some common words found in the essay are:
Perkins Gilman, England America, yellow wallpaper, post-partum depression, apparent post-partum depression, chair strong, chair strong friend434, narrator describes, naturally positive, strong friend434, husband doctor, main character, apparent post-partum,

Approximate Word count = 1176
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English