The creepy culmination of The Yellow Wallpaper has polarized interpretations. The ending is significant since the narrator finally breaks free from the chains of society. But soon, it gets clear that she is not free at all. She has to live with the prejudice patriarchy put on her as a female. Insanity is the only way to battle this.
Detailed answer:
The Yellow Wallpaper can have several interpretations. Some believe that the narrator crawling over her husband is a sign of defiance. After she complains about the wallpaper pattern, John refuses to let her move to another room. In one of the paragraphs, he tells her to “never for one instant let that idea enter your mind! It is a false and foolish fancy.” Her husband forbids her to talk about her mental struggles. Since the woman cannot leave the room, she focuses even more on the oppressive wallpaper.
It was a defiant act to tear the wallpaper to save the woman from entrapment. Her goal was to show her husband how independent she could be. Readers realize that the woman “trapped” in the wallpaper is the narrator herself. It is apparent that the narrator is delusional. As she is fighting the oppression of her husband, she becomes seduced by insanity. She is still trapped in a room, where she continues to creep over her fainted husband. Therefore, the detailed analysis of the ending proves its significance. The culmination of the story develops the theme of patriarchy’s effect on women.
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