The yellow wallpaper, which the narrator refers to as “paper,” symbolizes the repression of the narrator by her husband, and eventually, freedom from said repression (721). The secluded room that the narrator stays in symbolizes a sanctuary, giving the narrator time to write when her family is away. As the story draws to a close and the narrator has begun to end her writing sessions, she goes insane. Towards the end of the story it is revealed that the narrator has identified herself as the woman behind the wallpaper. It goes behind every piece of furniture, except the bed, a long, straight, even SMOOCH, as if it had been rubbed over and over. But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time! There are several elements to the wallpaper and how Gilman uses it in symbolism. The old, shambling, broken-down greenhouses represent the denial of growth by her husband, the social standards of the time, and the expectations that both have of her. Print. Similar to the narrator’s decent into madness being depicted as the peeling wallpaper; her madness is also illustrated by her distain of anything other than the yellow room. As the story drew to its closing, the narrator locks herself in the room from both her husband, John, and his sister, Jennie, calling to them that “the key is down by the front door under a plantain leaf” (731). Like many authors before her, Charlotte Perkins Gilman effectively uses symbolism in her story, The Yellow Wallpaper; in fact, many of the most gripping parts of The Yellow Wallpaper are overflowing with symbolism. (including. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. As she stays shut up in her yellow room, she starts to spiral into hysteria and confusion. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! One specific device that helps create a successful story is symbolism. I recently wrote a paper on the symbolism in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper for my American Literature class that I wanted to share with you all. The narrator felt only love towards her family and knew that it bothered them to see her write, so, she only did so when they were out of the room. The wallpaper is seen as a text that needs to be decrypted and understood this is what the narrator eventually tries to do as it affects her directly. 496-501. The narrator states that, when she asked him to repaper the room, John “[…] meant to repaper the room, but afterward he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient that to give way to such fancies. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? I won't, even if Jennie asks me to. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. The symbols displayed in “The Yellow Wallpaper” give the story a stronger underlying meaning, and to the narrator, by her audience, a sense that she was not completely insane, but a woman who found independence in something as ugly as yellow wallpaper. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candle light, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars! And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back” shows that the narrator has realized that the wallpaper was a way her husband oppressed her from life, and by tearing it off the wall, was able to become free (731). The reader discovers this when the narrator wonders, “…if they [the other women she sees] have come out of the wall-paper as I did?” (Gilman 496). As the wallpaper changes so does the character’s attitude towards herself. She is not allowed to make her own decisions, and any input on her illness is laughed at by her husband. She refuses to go outside claiming that everything is too green and not yellow. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!" I wonder how it was done and who did it, and what they did it for. The Yellow Wallpaper and its symbolism illustrate a successful commentary on the treatment of women in the 1890’s and how some, if not many, of those women took the situation into their own hands by whatever means possible. 1252 words (5 pages) Essay. Combine the problems in her marriage with the fact that John does not allow her to receive visitors other than their nurse Mary and his sister Jennie, the narrator only has herself for company and this makes for a rather lonely life. She calls it the “great immovable bed”(Gilman 409), for it is nailed to the floor. But now I am used to it. The narrator writing in her notebook symbolizes the stability in the narrator’s life that slowly deteriorates as the story draws to an end.

Daniel Whitehall Quotes, Ronde Barber Net Worth, Texas Battle Wife, San Diego Police Scanner, Simply Ming Season 16 Episode 11 Recipes, Black Powder Cleaning, Ac Odyssey Boeotia Side Quests,