Introduction
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a literary work exploring the topics of madness, freedom, and the oppression of women. It can be analyzed to understand the connection between storytelling and one’s worldview (Casanovas 2). The narrator’s confinement and mental illness distort her perception of reality, and the dismissive and oppressive actions of men around her worsen her state. This essay explores how the stories we tell about the world can shape our worldview.
Narrator’s Story and Worldview in “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Gilman’s story is centered around a woman confined to a room with yellow walls. She develops the signs of a progressive mental illness, but her husband, a physician, dismisses her worries and feelings, naming them nothing but “temporary nervous depression” (Gilman 648). He puts his wife in the room for rest, assuring her that it will heal her. However, the disturbing color and pattern of the wallpaper only aggravate her mental state, symbolizing her imprisonment and oppression (Köseman 177).
Isolated and alone with her feelings and the inability to express them through writing, the narrator becomes disgusted with yellow and obsessed with the idea of a woman imprisoned in the walls. Trying to process the traumatic reality, her mind creates a story that leads to hallucinations and a distorted worldview. Lack of proper treatment and medical attention plays another crucial role here. The woman’s perception of reality changes, so she cannot distinguish between imaginary and real aspects.
Another crucial factor in the main character’s story and changing worldview is her husband’s attitude regarding the problem. As Gilman mentions, “John is a physician,” which means that he was a respected and authoritative figure at the time (647). However, he does not treat the patient professionally and harms her mental state more with neglect and condescension (Amir 34).
It is evident that John patronizes his wife and does not take her needs and feelings seriously. He assures her that her “imaginative power and habit of story-making” cause the problem (Gilman 649). John dismisses the narrator’s story about the woman behind the wallpaper, encouraging her to control her thoughts and imagination. This approach diminishes the narrator’s abilities and changes her perception of reality. John’s authority and power question the significance of the woman’s story and worldview, which causes her growing feelings of isolation and protest.
Imposed with continuous disrespect and oppression, the main character resists the pressure. Her story becomes a method of empowerment and protests against her husband and patriarchal norms (Köseman 178). The woman trapped in the walls begins to break free as the protagonist writes and expresses herself despite her husband’s prohibition. They both challenge societal expectations and constraints in their own ways.
Symbolically, both the imaginary and the actual woman represent the narrator and her desire for freedom. In this regard, storytelling is a way of self-expression and rebellion against oppression. The main character attempts to restore her identity and assert her beliefs (Casanovas 10). She shapes her own reality with the story, seeking liberation and empowering herself.
Conclusion
To conclude, Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” illustrates how storytelling can change one’s understanding of reality and worldview. The narrator’s imprisonment and the dismissive, condescending approach of the people around her contribute to her mental illness’s progression. Therefore, she uses her story to identify and assert her beliefs, challenging social norms and oppressive acts. Eventually, the woman uses writing to empower herself and shape the world around her.
Works Cited
Amir, Rahma Melati. “Ideology In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Short Story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ By Using Genetic Structuralism Approach.” Journal of Literacy of English Education Study Program, vol. 2, no. 01, 2021, pp. 34-44.
Casanovas, Àger Pérez. “On the borderlands of madness.” European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, vol. 15, no. 1, 2023, pp. 1-18. OpenEdition Journals.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. Virago Press, 1981.
Köseman, Zennure. “The Secret Diary Recording the Depression of the Imaginative Woman Narrator in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’.” RumeliDE Journal of Language and Literature Studies, no. 9, 2021, pp. 177-183.