Overview
This lecture provides a summary and analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," focusing on plot, characters, symbols, and major themes.
Plot Summary
- The story is set in the late 1800s and told through the journal entries of an unnamed narrator.
- After childbirth, the narrator is diagnosed with a nervous condition and prescribed the "rest cure," involving isolation and little mental or physical activity.
- Confined in a former nursery with yellow wallpaper, she secretly writes about her deteriorating mental state.
- The narrator becomes obsessed with the wallpaper’s pattern, believing there is a woman trapped behind it.
- As the story climaxes, she locks herself in the room and tears away the wallpaper, identifying herself with the trapped woman.
- The story ends with the narrator creeping around the room as her husband faints.
Characters
- The narrator is a new mother suffering from mental illness, worsened by enforced inactivity and isolation.
- John, her husband, is a physician who represents patriarchal authority and strictly enforces the rest cure.
- Jenny, John's sister, is the housekeeper and supports John's regimen for the narrator.
- Mary, the caretaker, looks after the baby, emphasizing the narrator's removal from her maternal role.
Symbols
- The yellow wallpaper represents the narrator’s confinement and societal limitations placed on women.
- The pattern in the wallpaper symbolizes mental entrapment and the struggle for freedom.
- The estate and the room highlight the narrator’s increasing isolation.
- The moon symbolizes womanhood and reveals hidden aspects of the narrator’s psyche.
Themes
- Conformity vs. self-expression: The narrator’s enforced inactivity suppresses her need for intellectual and creative outlets.
- Confinement: Physical, psychological, and societal constraints drive the narrator to madness.
- Women's roles: The story critiques the narrow domestic roles assigned to women and loss of agency.
- Mental health: The narrative explores how enforced conformity and isolation can lead to mental deterioration.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Rest cure — a 19th-century treatment for mental illness involving isolation and inactivity.
- Patriarchal oppression — societal control of women by male authority figures.
- Conformity — compliance with societal norms at the expense of individuality.
- Agency — the capacity to act independently and make one’s own choices.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the story and note examples of symbolism and theme.
- Prepare for discussion on the impact of societal roles on mental health.