Question

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman It is getting to be a great effort for me to think straight. Just this nervous weakness, I suppose. And dear John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read to me till it tired my head. He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well. He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me. There’s one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper. If we had not used it that blessed child would have! What a fortunate escape! Why, I wouldn’t have a child of mine, an impressionable little thing, live in such a room for worlds. I never thought of it before, but it is lucky that John kept me here after all. I can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see. Of course I never mention it to them any more,—I am too wise,—but I keep watch of it all the same. There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will. Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day. It is always the same shape, only very numerous. And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern. I don’t like it a bit. I wonder—I begin to think—I wish John would take me away from here! It is so hard to talk with John about my case, because he is so wise, and because he loves me so.The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman It is getting to be a great effort for me to think straight. Just this nervous weakness, I suppose. And dear John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read to me till it tired my head. He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well. He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me. There’s one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper. If we had not used it that blessed child would have! What a fortunate escape! Why, I wouldn’t have a child of mine, an impressionable little thing, live in such a room for worlds. I never thought of it before, but it is lucky that John kept me here after all. I can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see. Of course I never mention it to them any more,—I am too wise,—but I keep watch of it all the same. There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will. Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day. It is always the same shape, only very numerous. And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern. I don’t like it a bit. I wonder—I begin to think—I wish John would take me away from here! It is so hard to talk with John about my case, because he is so wise, and because he loves me so.

Answer 1

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores themes of mental health, oppression, and the struggle for self-identity through the experiences of a woman confined to a room with disturbing yellow wallpaper. The narrator's thoughts reflect her growing discontent and sense of isolation, despite her husband John's insistence that he is caring for her.

In the excerpt, the narrator grapples with her "nervous weakness" and reveals her frustration with being unable to express her feelings to John, who exerts control over her wellbeing through his "wisdom." Her thoughts also reveal a protective instinct toward her child, suggesting a profound anxiety about motherhood and the environment in which it might occur. The wallpaper becomes a symbol of her confinement, as she perceives a woman trapped behind its pattern, mirroring her own feelings of entrapment and despair.

As the narrative unfolds, the wallpaper transforms from a mere decorative element into a representation of the narrator's mental state. The creeping figure she imagines taps into her subconscious struggle against societal expectations, the limitations imposed by her marriage, and her own identity. Ultimately, Gilman's story highlights the consequences of silencing women's voices and the importance of recognizing and addressing mental health issues.

The narrator's plea for John to take her away hints at her yearning for freedom and the hope for liberation from her oppressive situation, which only exacerbates her mental decline as she becomes increasingly obsessed with the wallpaper's patterns. This reflection encapsulates the themes of power dynamics and the desperate quest for autonomy within the constraints of a patriarchal society.