Introduction
The disturbing and thought-provoking short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman had a big impression on me. I related strongly to the story’s examination of mental illness, female oppression, and the power dynamics in relationships. My emotional connection to the narrator’s events was heightened by Gilman’s use of first-person present-tense narration, and the character’s internal growth was made more difficult by the account’s unreliability.
Gilman made a brilliant decision by employing the narration’s first-person and present tense. It instantly immerses the reader in the narrator’s world and gives her experiences a real-world, intimate sense. This strategy encourages empathy by bridging the reader’s mental condition with the character’s one.
The Impact of the Story on the Reader
As a reader, I actively participated in her challenges rather than just watching them from afar. I can sense the narrator’s agony and her desire to be a better wife, for example, when she says, “I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!” (Gilman 649). The narrator’s intense sense of irritation and self-doubt is perfectly captured in this sentence.
Gilman’s unreliability gives her character’s internal growth more dimension. Her declining mental health is distorting her perception of reality as the plot progresses. Her perceptions and beliefs are warped as a result of her fascination with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom, which is a reflection of her mental imprisonment. She says, “The front pattern does move, and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it!” (Gilman 654). This passage exemplifies how her subjective perspective mirrors her escalating spiral of delusion.
Conclusion
Overall, the narrator’s experiences became incredibly intimate because of the first-person, present-tense narration, and her unreliability deepened my knowledge of her character’s interior growth. I observe her decline into lunacy through her subjective perspective, amplifying the effects of her surroundings and societal expectations. By using this narrative style, I could identify with her problems and connect with the story viscerally, which helped me remember the themes and messages of the story.
Work Cited
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. Virago Press, 1981.
