The Overall Themes in the Yellow Wallpaper

A detailed Summary of The Overall Themes in the Yellow Wallpaper


The Yellow Wallpaper is a great example of writing from the Victorian era. The author, Charlotte Gilman uses some of the best literary techniques to convey several themes, including that of oppression. This theme is quite prevalent all throughout the story. The use of oppression as a theme helps magnify and express her feelings on border- line depression and insanity.

The unnamed main character in the story is being affected by an unreal sickness that she has just started being treated for. Throughout the story, the protagonist is torn between whether or not to believe her husband, a doctor, or to let her feelings rule her mind. The reason for any disbelief comes from the fact that she is not sure if he is being truly caring or greatly manipulative. These thoughts only creep into her mind because of the heinous circumstances that she has had to live under. The circumstances are magnified by oppression and eventually lead to insanity. There are three different examples of oppression that combine t


o give the overall this overall feeling to the reader.

In the end the wife goes crazy after becoming an insomniac and watching the wallpaper all night long. The three elements combine when the wife states, " I've gotten out at last (1289)." She had believed that by tearing off the wallpaper she had escaped the leashes of oppression, which she had been sustaining. In actuality she had just totally let go and lost her mind.

The whole story is portrayed through the eyes of the narrator, who writes in her journal to help keep her mind going and to express her everyday feelings. "There comes John, and I must put this away- he hates to have me write a word. (Gilman 1281)" Why would someone not want to you to write while you were sick? Writing is a way to express ideas and the way one feels. By not letting her write in her journal one can see that he was trying to oppress giving his wife any room to think. If she was allowed to think, she might realize what kind of bullshit she was being given, and he coul

Some common words found in the essay are:
Charlotte Gilman, Yellow Wallpaper, gilman 1281, oppression theme, throughout story, yellow wallpaper,

Approximate Word count = 684
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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