Sanity for independence
Sanity for independenceSanity for Independence
A look at “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by C.P Gilman
The short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a woman’s cry for freedom. It is about a creative woman whose talents are suppressed by her dominant husband. His efforts to oppress her, in order to keep her within society's norms of what a wife is supposed to act like only lead to her mental destruction. He is more concerned with societal norms than the mental health of his wife. In trying to become independent and overcome her own suppressed thoughts, and her husbands false diagnosis of her; she loses her sanity.
One way the story illustrates his dominance is by the way he, a well-know and established doctor who should know better than to diagnose a family member, diagnoses her as having a temporary nervousness condition. After diagnosis, he prescribes bed rest as the cure. Without asking her, he takes her to their summer home to recover from the illness he does not believe she has. He tells her there is “no reason” why she feels the way she does; she should get rid of those “silly fantasies.” In saying this to her, he is treating her like a child who does not really know how she feels, thus making her doubt herself. When she tries to tell him what she needs, she is completely shut out and ignored. “I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus—but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad.” This statement has a two-fold meaning, in the first part of the sentence he reveals part of his insecurity problem. He is not interested in getting her help because he does not want her illness to be resolved with the right support. However, in treating her with just bed rest, he is forcing her to dwell on her problems, which is just the opposite of what he wanted. In the second part of the sentence, it seems as though the woman does not want to believe what her husband is telling her hence setting the stage for her rebellion. All her husband wants her to do is rest and sleep: he even suppresses her creative talent by not allowing her to write. She is in constant fear of being caught by her husband; “I must put this away, -he hates to have me write a word.” It seems as though John is being more of a father than a husband and because of this, she feels that she should be a “good girl” and appreciate what he is doing for her even though she knows that his diagnosis is killing her. “He takes all care from me, and I feel so basely ungrateful not to value it more…He took me in his arms and called me blessed little...
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