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The Yellow Wallpaper
Introduction:
The yellow wallpaper is a story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. She was an American writer who wrote this short story in 1892. The theme of the story is the mental and physical state of women during the 19th century. The writer highlighted the conditions and dependence of the women in the society and its consequences on their health. During the 19th century, women were limited to the specific field for work and most of them were encouraged to stay at home. The dominance of men developed the inequality and psychological problem for women. The problem of inequality in the 19th century still exists in contemporary time. The fields or circumstances may change over time but the issue is still there.
Discussion:
The baseline of the story is derived from the life experience of the writer. Charlotte Perkins Gilman faced a nervous breakdown in 1887. In her third year of the issue, she visited the country's well known nervous disease specialist to cure her problem. However, the specialist recommended her bed rest and spent her remaining life without touching pen and brush for work. The specialist advised her to live a domestic life. The writer spent her three months at home without doing any work but no improvement was noticed instead she felt mentally upset more than before. Later her friend helped her and advised her to come back to work. She went to work and slowly her depression and upset nature turned into happiness and joy. After the experience, she wrote this issue in "The yellow wallpaper". However, she never hallucinated as she wrote in the story. The concept of the hallucination was to highlight the role of the doctor who made her condition worse. The writer believed that if she continued the same lifestyle there was no doubt she would be mad soon ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"beapTRDZ","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf ({\\i{}Gilman, Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper})}","plainCitation":"(Gilman, Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1362,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/79ZWUWF2"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/79ZWUWF2"],"itemData":{"id":1362,"type":"webpage","title":"Gilman, Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper","URL":"https://csivc.csi.cuny.edu/history/files/lavender/whyyw.html","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",5,16]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Gilman, Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper).
When the writer wrote the story she sent the copy to the doctor who received her and gave her rest cure treatment. He did not reply to the story, however, a few years later the writer got to know that the physician changed his treatment. William Dean Howells was the writer who forwarded the short story to the editor for publication. The editor responded to the story through the session by saying, "I could not forgive myself if I make others as miserable as I have made myself” ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"0eQadNFd","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf ({\\i{}Yellow})}","plainCitation":"(Yellow)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1365,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/57272FGM"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/57272FGM"],"itemData":{"id":1365,"type":"webpage","title":"yellow","URL":"http://www.utm.edu/staff/lalexand/yellow.htm","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",5,16]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Yellow). The story was first published a year later in 1892. The response of the story got both positive and negative remarks. For instance, a number of physicians found the story inappropriate. The reason for the negative review was the male patriarch society. During the 19th century, males were linked to the professional of physician and women were not allowed to choose such field. The story highlighted this aspect of society where women were bound to domestic life or were not allowed to choose the field like writing only. The male were dominant in the society which leads to the poor psychological condition of the women. However, there was a male physician who took the paper in a positive way and appreciated the work. Although there was the mix response by the public on the story, however, most of the writer appreciated the work.
The critics were also made with time to time on the personal interpretation and feminist interpretation of the story. For instance, the critic was made over the mental health of society and artist by the claim that it is observed that various artists face mental disorders but it is not necessary that the whole population face same level of mental instability ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"xc95hp8K","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bosky)","plainCitation":"(Bosky)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1373,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/5D3NIQLL"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/5D3NIQLL"],"itemData":{"id":1373,"type":"entry-encyclopedia","title":"Mental Disorders Portrayed in Literature","container-title":"Salem Press Encyclopedia of Literature","publisher":"Salem Press","source":"EBSCOhost","URL":"https://login.ezproxy.hartnell.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=100551424&site=eds-live","author":[{"family":"Bosky","given":"Bernadette Lynn"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]},"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",5,16]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bosky). Another critic was placed by the physician with the claim that the story is inappropriate it could not reflect the skill of all-male physician and therefore, the story should not be published.
The story was the best reflection of society in the 19th century. It highlighted the condition of women so accurately. For instance, a researcher addressed the feminist perspective of the story. The miserable life condition and unspoken issues of the women were reflected in the story through personal life experience. The story was considered as the masterpiece of the 19th century, the period when the women encouraged staying at home. They were like the angel in the house ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"JjOPcFRl","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf ({\\i{}The Helpless Angel in Charlotte Perkins Gilman\\uc0\\u8217{}s The Yellow Wallpaper: Discovery Service for Hartnell College})}","plainCitation":"(The Helpless Angel in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper: Discovery Service for Hartnell College)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1367,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/36YHNV8N"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/36YHNV8N"],"itemData":{"id":1367,"type":"webpage","title":"The Helpless Angel in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper: Discovery Service for Hartnell College","URL":"http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=e4b10564-7b89-477d-9d2f-4cea0954bf9f%40pdc-v-sessmgr06&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.287287e25c5246d89f7ccba6a1c730db","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",5,16]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (The Helpless Angel in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper: Discovery Service for Hartnell College).
The critical interpretation of the work has changed throughout the year. For instance, specific medical treatment was targeted by the writer. It leads to an increase in research and interventions to improve the medication for the problem of temporary nervous depression. However, the feminist interpretation did not get much attention in that era. With time, the work reappeared as a masterpiece for highlighting the issue of gender inequality and stereotypes that develops the life patterns of women. Many feminists use the work to indicate the women problem and women rights. The interpretation of work has been changed with time but its influence is still effective in society ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Xkvxir0n","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(CoHo)","plainCitation":"(CoHo)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1374,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/PIH49SVX"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/PIH49SVX"],"itemData":{"id":1374,"type":"post-weblog","title":"BLOG: Critical History of The Yellow Wallpaper","container-title":"CoHo Productions | Portland, OR","abstract":"CoHo Productions has pioneered artist led co-production as a model of creating theatre.","URL":"http://www.cohoproductions.org/blog/blog-critical-history-of-the-yellow-wallpaper/","shortTitle":"BLOG","language":"en-US","author":[{"literal":"CoHo"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016",1,13]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (CoHo).
The work based on personal experience is commonly shared at the contemporary time, however, it was an uncommon and unique pattern in the past. This is why the short story of "The yellow wallpaper" got so much attention by the readers. A number of publications on the same that was health and social concerns of women were discussed by other writers. For instance, work "Ask me about my uterus" was written by Abby Norman and another work named "sick" by the author Porochista Khakpour, presented the same context same year. Both the work discussed the issue and situation of the women and their health. The memoir carried the uncomfortable echoes of creepy work by Gilman. The books highlighted the superiority of men and gender disparity within the field of medicine. In addition, they highlighted the stereotypes and cultural norms to discuss the pain of women that made them silent and stifles in a male patriarchal society. Therefore, these works were related to the same author. Her aim was to make people think regarding the status of women in society. The addition of work based on her work was the success of the goal that the writer set while writing the story. The story of “the yellow wallpaper” was a sudden attack on the disparities and stereotypes of the society which shocked everyone. In addition, it provided the way to other writers to show their perception and involvement for the health and rights of the women. Gilman wrote another short story "Herland" and theoretical work "Women and Economics" and many others that directly placed the women of her time at the center of her argument. Her stories and other work were inter-related because of gender-based analysis and rendering her ideas regarding social norms.
The story plot is based on the life experience of the writer. However, it does not directly portrait the writer or the physician in the story. The story acquired the philosophical and social values of the 19th century. In the story, a couple went to the colonial mansion to spend their summer. The women noticed the temporary nervous depression which was misunderstood by her husband who was a physician. Her husband gave her a rest cure and took the help of her sister to serve as a housekeeper. This part was related to the writer's life when a famous physician gave her rest cure and suggested to stay at home and to stop her writing for the rest of her life. Here two main aspects of the society were highlighted. The first one was the condition of women. Women were unable to express their problem and pain. Secondly, women were encouraged to stay at home and the professional like doctor was meant for men only. The other event in the story that was related to the real life of the writer was the last part. The wife locked herself to tear down the yellow wallpaper as she assumed that there was a woman on the other side whom she had to free from the prison. She tears off the yellow wallpaper and assumed that she succeeded to save the women. The husband was shocked and fainted by witnessing the madness and bad condition of her wife. His rest cure made his wife mad. Same happened to the writer in real life. She stayed at home for months without doing any official work and spent a domestic life. However, she noticed instead of improvement her condition was going worst. Her friend saved her life to bring her back into normal life. She joined her work again and the issue of temporary nervous depression was eliminated from her life. The writer claimed that if she did not join the work again, she would be mad just like the women in the story. The domestic life or forced life pattern for the women was the reason for the physical and psychological problem of the women. This event was the life changer for the writer and then for the whole society through her work ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"wDxHpmqW","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf ({\\i{}Feminist Gothic in \\uc0\\u8220{}The Yellow Wallpaper\\uc0\\u8221{}})}","plainCitation":"(Feminist Gothic in “The Yellow Wallpaper”)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1375,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/7YNWC96C"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/ccgWoSRn/items/7YNWC96C"],"itemData":{"id":1375,"type":"webpage","title":"Feminist Gothic in \"The Yellow Wallpaper\"","URL":"http://www.lonestar.edu/yellow-wallpaper.htm","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",5,16]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Feminist Gothic in “The Yellow Wallpaper”).
The writer not only discussed the experience of her life, but she also portraits her psychological makeup in the story. The three months that she spent at home damaged her psychological health. She was more depressed and weak than before. In the story she highlighted this aspect by describing the time when the wife spent her time in the home watching yellow wallpaper and instead of healing by rest cure she started hallucinating. The hallucination symptoms have not occurred in the writer's life, she added that part to indicate the psychological condition becoming worse due to the wrong assessment of the problem.
The work of "The yellow wallpaper" was illuminated by developing criticism on the specific medical treatment and analysis of her life experience as evidence to prove her claim. It was the assessment developed by her by telling the intervention provided by the physician and its result by describing her condition after applying the intervention. She concluded the research by saying that the physicians underestimate the psychological condition of the women and provide the wrong treatment. The rest cure is the wrong treatment for the patient suffering from temporary nervous depression. Her work was considered accurate because the doctor who recommended her to take rest changed his treatment after the work was published.
Conclusion:
The yellow wallpaper is a masterpiece which reflects the women condition in the 19th century. Another aspect of the story is to identify the wrong treatment for a specific psychological disorder. Both issues are crucial in the society therefore, it provides deep information regarding the society disparities and limitation in the medical field. The story is based on the life experience of the writer which is still famous for the feminism interpretation.
Work Cited
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Bosky, Bernadette Lynn. “Mental Disorders Portrayed in Literature.” Salem Press Encyclopedia of Literature, Salem Press, 2019.EBSCOhost, https://login.ezproxy.hartnell.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=100551424&site=eds-live.
CoHo. “BLOG: Critical History of The Yellow Wallpaper.” CoHo Productions | Portland, OR, 13 Jan. 2016, http://www.cohoproductions.org/blog/blog-critical-history-of-the-yellow-wallpaper/.
Feminist Gothic in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” http://www.lonestar.edu/yellow-wallpaper.htm.Accessed 16 May 2019.
Gilman, Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper. https://csivc.csi.cuny.edu/history/files/lavender/whyyw.html. Accessed 16 May 2019.
The Helpless Angel in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper: Discovery Service for Hartnell College. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=e4b10564-7b89-477d-9d2f-4cea0954bf9f%40pdc-v-sessmgr06&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.287287e25c5246d89f7ccba6a1c730db. Accessed 16 May 2019.
Yellow. http://www.utm.edu/staff/lalexand/yellow.htm. Accessed 16 May 2019.
