From The Yellow Wallpaper introduction, we learn the context about the protagonist, her circumstances, and the societal norms that influence her situation. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, as a work of feminist literature, critiques the oppressive treatment of women and realistically describes what later was proven to be inadequate “rest cure.” While The Yellow Wallpaper genre is gothic and psychological fiction, it captivates readers with its eerie atmosphere and profound social commentary.
This The Yellow Wallpaper study guide explores the story’s key elements, including its genre, social context, political setting, the narrator’s relationships, and how the yellow wallpaper reflects her struggle for freedom. With this guide, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the story’s themes, symbols, and lasting importance.
?? The Yellow Wallpaper Study Guide: Navigation
Synopsis
A short summary of the story with pictures that contains the key events of The Yellow Wallpaper.
Summary & Analysis
The detailed summary and analysis of the short story. Active characters and themes.
Characters
The Yellow Wallpaper’s narrator, John, Mary, Jennie, and the Woman – all the characters of the short story described on one page.
Themes & Symbols
The key symbols and themes in The Yellow Wallpaper: freedom of expression, mental illness, and family.
Quotes Explained
All the important quotations from The Yellow Wallpaper explained on one page.
Essay Examples & Topics
A collection of ideas for your essay on The Yellow Wallpaper: 100% free research paper and essay examples.
Author's Biography
A timeline and a biography of a famous American writer and activist.
Questions & Answers
An extensive list of answers to the most pressing questions about the story.
? The Yellow Wallpaper: Facts
What Is The Yellow Wallpaper About?
The Yellow Wallpaper is a diary of a woman suffering from postpartum depression. She is prescribed the so-called “rest cure,” which results in her confinement in a limited space with little to no social contact. Having nothing better to do, she fixates on the abhorrent yellow wallpaper in her room and loses her mind.
The Yellow Wallpaper is autobiographical to some extent. An intelligent and sensitive female writer is trying to recover from a nervous breakdown she suffered after giving birth. She secretly writes an account of her lonely day-to-day existence in a rental house.
? The Yellow Wallpaper: Historical Context
When Was The Yellow Wallpaper Written?
The Yellow Wallpaper was written in 1890. The 19th century is considered to be a time of enlightenment and innovation. However, much was underdeveloped and misunderstood. One of the under-researched topics was the physical and mental health of women. The tragedy of an incorrect treatment is illustrated in the story.
Why Was The Yellow Wallpaper Written?
Gilman explains why The Yellow Wallpaper is autobiographical in the essay ‘Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper.’ There, she discloses how her mental health was once in jeopardy. Although the treatment was prescribed to her by a “”noted specialist in nervous diseases, the best known in the country,”” she recovered only after ditching the procedures.
In 1913, the article “Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper” was published. It was inspired by the so-called “rest cure” that the doctors applied to treat Gilman’s postpartum melancholy. In 1886, soon after her daughter was born, she was stricken by severe depression.
In her biography, Gilman described her “unbearable inner misery”. The state only worsened with the presence of her baby and husband. Just like the novella’s narrator, Gilman was prescribed the “rest cure.” She followed all the instructions of her physicians, avoiding any physical and mental activities. However, this treatment didn’t help. It even made her condition worse, leading her to a nervous breakdown.
However, this is something more than a personal story. It’s impossible to analyze the novella without addressing The Yellow Wallpaper’s historical context. The short story was published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. At the time, the female part of the population still had neither the right to vote nor the right to be independent financially. The novella tells us a lot about the gender roles typical for late 19th-century America.
A scientist was the symbol of the era of breakthroughs. He (for it was always a man) was a pragmatic and learned individual who disregarded any nonsense or weirdness. What he did not understand, he shoved away and out of sight.
Men were the earners. They were also those who commanded the social lives of their families. Women were regarded as soft and vulnerable creatures doomed to conduct home lifestyles. Considered to be inferior to men, many women were denied the recognition for the fruits of their mental labor. The traditional female role was that of a wife, a mother, a servant. On the one hand, the upper-class women were pictured as being frail both physically and mentally. They were advised against straining their fragile minds lest they suffer inevitable physical and mental complications. On the other hand, working-class women were subjected to the same level of strain and hardship in work as their male counterparts. Only they were paid less. On the whole, women were in a very unfair position, where their judgment was wrong a priori. Of course, it was reflected in the medical sphere, too. Gilman portrays this side in her short story. This is what forms The Yellow Wallpaper’s historical context.