Home > Q&A by Experts > Literature >
Q

In The Yellow Wallpaper, How Does the Changing Description of the Wallpaper Reflect the Narrator’s Changing Character?

A

The wallpaper is the screen onto which the narrator projects her fears. Its pattern makes her anxious about invisible supervision. At first, her condition is disquiet. Then it turns to obsessive anxiety, and, finally, madness. In the end, we witness an act of aggression.

Detailed answer:

Charlotte Gilman’s The Yellow Paper proves that suppression is destructive for a woman. The wallpaper in the room where the narrator is kept is critical to understand the author’s intention.

The woman sees a vague shapeless female silhouette. It looks mysterious and provocative for her and grows more visible every day. She discerns a woman, “stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern.” Over time, she discovers that the image on the wallpaper changes in a different light. At night, the external pattern “becomes bars!” With this discovery, the character’s attitude to the room changes. The passive prisoner becomes an active researcher.

In the daytime, this woman is restrained and quiet. At night, she begins to “shake violently” the bars and tries to free herself. Sometimes the narrator thinks that there are many women behind bars. They crawl quickly on the wallpaper. She associates “crawling” with a protest against women’s humiliation. Society limits their mental and physical freedom. The wallpaper pattern reinforces the room’s earlier association with the prison. In the end, the narrator tears the wallpaper off the walls. She proclaims freedom from supervision and liberation of mind.

Answer's rating:
Updated:
Ask your Question
(We won’t publish it)
Cite This page
You're welcome to use this expert's answer in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, August 21). In The Yellow Wallpaper, How Does the Changing Description of the Wallpaper Reflect the Narrator’s Changing Character? https://ivypanda.com/q/in-the-yellow-wallpaper-how-does-the-changing-description-of-the-wallpaper-reflect-the-narrators-changing-character/

Work Cited

"In The Yellow Wallpaper, How Does the Changing Description of the Wallpaper Reflect the Narrator’s Changing Character?" IvyPanda, 21 Aug. 2024, ivypanda.com/q/in-the-yellow-wallpaper-how-does-the-changing-description-of-the-wallpaper-reflect-the-narrators-changing-character/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'In The Yellow Wallpaper, How Does the Changing Description of the Wallpaper Reflect the Narrator’s Changing Character'. 21 August.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "In The Yellow Wallpaper, How Does the Changing Description of the Wallpaper Reflect the Narrator’s Changing Character?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/in-the-yellow-wallpaper-how-does-the-changing-description-of-the-wallpaper-reflect-the-narrators-changing-character/.

1. IvyPanda. "In The Yellow Wallpaper, How Does the Changing Description of the Wallpaper Reflect the Narrator’s Changing Character?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/in-the-yellow-wallpaper-how-does-the-changing-description-of-the-wallpaper-reflect-the-narrators-changing-character/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "In The Yellow Wallpaper, How Does the Changing Description of the Wallpaper Reflect the Narrator’s Changing Character?" August 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/q/in-the-yellow-wallpaper-how-does-the-changing-description-of-the-wallpaper-reflect-the-narrators-changing-character/.

Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.