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Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s classic short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" tells the story of a young woman’s gradual descent into psychosis. " The Yellow Wallpaper" is often cited as an early feminist work that predates a woman’s right to vote in the United States. The author was involved in first-wave feminism, and her other works questioned the origins of the subjugation of women, particularly in marriage. "

The Yellow Wallpaper" is a widely read work that asks difficult questions about the role of women, particularly regarding their mental health and right to autonomy and self-identity. We’ll go over The Yellow Wallpaper summary, themes and symbols, The Yellow Wallpaper analysis, and some important information about the author.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Summary

"The Yellow Wallpaper" details the deterioration of a woman's mental health while she is on a "rest cure" on a rented summer country estate with her family. Her obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom marks her descent into psychosis from her depression throughout the story.

The narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" begins the story by discussing her move to a beautiful estate for the summer. Her husband, John, is also her doctor , and the move is meant in part to help the narrator overcome her “illness,” which she explains as nervous depression, or nervousness, following the birth of their baby. John’s sister, Jennie, also lives with them and works as their housekeeper.

Though her husband believes she will get better with rest and by not worrying about anything, the narrator has an active imagination and likes to write . He discourages her wonder about the house, and dismisses her interests. She mentions her baby more than once, though there is a nurse that cares for the baby, and the narrator herself is too nervous to provide care.

The narrator and her husband move into a large room that has ugly, yellow wallpaper that the narrator criticizes. She asks her husband if they can change rooms and move downstairs, and he rejects her. The more she stays in the room, the more the narrator’s fascination with the hideous wallpaper grows.

After hosting family for July 4th, the narrator expresses feeling even worse and more exhausted. She struggles to do daily activities, and her mental state is deteriorating. John encourages her to rest more, and the narrator hides her writing from him because he disapproves.

In the time between July 4th and their departure, the narrator is seemingly driven insane by the yellow wallpaper ; she sleeps all day and stays up all night to stare at it, believing that it comes alive, and the patterns change and move. Then, she begins to believe that there is a woman in the wallpaper who alters the patterns and is watching her.

A few weeks before their departure, John stays overnight in town and the narrator wants to sleep in the room by herself so she can stare at the wallpaper uninterrupted. She locks out Jennie and believes that she can see the woman in the wallpaper . John returns and frantically tries to be let in, and the narrator refuses; John is able to enter the room and finds the narrator crawling on the floor. She claims that the woman in the wallpaper has finally exited, and John faints, much to her surprise.

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Background on "The Yellow Wallpaper"

The author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, was a lecturer for social reform, and her beliefs and philosophy play an important part in the creation of "The Yellow Wallpaper," as well as the themes and symbolism in the story. "The Yellow Wallpaper" also influenced later feminist writers.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, known as Charlotte Perkins Stetsman while she was married to her first husband, was born in Hartford, CT in 1860. Young Charlotte was observed as being bright, but her mother wasn’t interested in her education, and Charlotte spent lots of time in the library.

Charlotte married Charles Stetsman in 1884, and her daughter was born in 1885. She suffered from serious postpartum depression after giving birth to their daughter, Katharine. Her battle with postpartum depression and the doctors she dealt with during her illness inspired her to write "The Yellow Wallpaper."

The couple separated in 1888, the year that Perkins Gilman wrote her first book, Art Gems for the Home and Fireside. She later wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" in 1890, while she was in a relationship with Adeline Knapp, and living apart from her legal husband. "The Yellow Wallpaper" was published in 1892, and in 1893 she published a book of satirical poetry , In This Our World, which gained her fame.

Eventually, Perkins Gilman got officially divorced from Stetsman, and ended her relationship with Knapp. She married her cousin, Houghton Gilman, and claimed to be satisfied in the marriage .

Perkins Gilman made a living as a lecturer on women’s issues, labor issues, and social reform . She toured Europe and the U.S. as a lecturer, and founded her own magazine, The Forerunner.

Publication

"The Yellow Wallpaper" was first published in January 1892 in New England Magazine.

During Perkins Gilman's lifetime, the role of women in American society was heavily restricted both socially and legally. At the time of its publication, women were still twenty-six years away from gaining the right to vote .

This viewpoint on women as childish and weak meant that they were discouraged from having any control over their lives. Women were encouraged or forced to defer to their husband’s opinions in all aspects of life , including financially, socially, and medically. Writing itself was revolutionary, since it would create a sense of identity, and was thought to be too much for the naturally fragile women.

Women's health was a particularly misunderstood area of medicine, as women were viewed as nervous, hysterical beings, and were discouraged from doing anything to further “upset” them. The prevailing wisdom of the day was that rest would cure hysteria, when in reality the constant boredom and lack of purpose likely worsened depression .

Perkins Gilman used her own experience in her first marriage and postpartum depression as inspiration for The Yellow Wallpaper, and illustrates how a woman’s lack of autonomy is detrimental to her mental health.

Upon its publication, Perkins Gilman sent a copy of "The Yellow Wallpaper" to the doctor who prescribed her the rest cure for her postpartum depression.

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"The Yellow Wallpaper" Characters

Though there are only a few characters in the story, they each have an important role. While the story is about the narrator’s mental deterioration, the relationships in her life are essential for understanding why and how she got to this point.

The Narrator

The narrator of the story is a young, upper-middle-class woman. She is imaginative and a natural writer, though she is discouraged from exploring this part of herself. She is a new mother and is thought to have “hysterical tendencies” or suffer from nervousness. Her name may be Jane but it is unclear.

John is the narrator’s husband and her physician. He restricts her activity as a part of her treatment. John is extremely practical, and belittles the narrator's imagination and feelings . He seems to care about her well-being, but believes he knows what is best for her and doesn't allow her input.

Jennie is John’s sister, who works as a housekeeper for the couple. Jennie seems concerned for the narrator, as indicated by her offer to sleep in the yellow wallpapered room with her. Jennie seems content with her domestic role .

Main Themes of "The Yellow Wallpaper"

From what we know about the author of this story and from interpreting the text, there are a few themes that are clear from a "Yellow Wallpaper" analysis. "The Yellow Wallpaper" was a serious piece of literature that addressed themes pertinent to women.

Women's Role in Marriage

Women were expected to be subordinate to their husbands and completely obedient, as well as take on strictly domestic roles inside the home . Upper middle class women, like the narrator, may go for long periods of time without even leaving the home. The story reveals that this arrangement had the effect of committing women to a state of naĂŻvetĂŠ, dependence, and ignorance.

John assumes he has the right to determine what’s best for his wife, and this authority is never questioned. He belittles her concerns, both concrete and the ones that arise as a result of her depression , and is said so brush her off and “laugh at her” when she speaks through, “this is to be expected in marriage” He doesn’t take her concerns seriously, and makes all the decisions about both of their lives.

As such, she has no say in anything in her life, including her own health, and finds herself unable to even protest.

Perkins Gilman, like many others, clearly disagreed with this state of things, and aimed to show the detrimental effects that came to women as a result of their lack of autonomy.

Identity and Self-Expression

Throughout the story, the narrator is discouraged from doing the things she wants to do and the things that come naturally to her, like writing. On more than one occasion, she hurries to put her journal away because John is approaching .

She also forces herself to act as though she’s happy and satisfied, to give the illusion that she is recovering, which is worse. She wants to be a good wife, according to the way the role is laid out for her, but struggles to conform especially with so little to actually do.

The narrator is forced into silence and submission through the rest cure, and desperately needs an intellectual and emotional outlet . However, she is not granted one and it is clear that this arrangement takes a toll.

The Rest Cure

The rest cure was commonly prescribed during this period of history for women who were “nervous.” Perkins Gilman has strong opinions about the merits of the rest cure , having been prescribed it herself. John’s insistence on the narrator getting “air” constantly, and his insistence that she do nothing that requires mental or physical stimulation is clearly detrimental.

The narrator is also discouraged from doing activities, whether they are domestic- like cleaning or caring for her baby- in addition to things like reading, writing, and exploring the grounds of the house. She is stifled and confined both physically and mentally, which only adds to her condition .

Perkins Gilman damns the rest cure in this story, by showing the detrimental effects on women, and posing that women need mental and physical stimulation to be healthy, and need to be free to make their own decisions over health and their lives.

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The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis: Symbols and Symbolism

Symbols are a way for the author to give the story meaning, and provide clues as to the themes and characters. There are two major symbols in "The Yellow Wallpaper."

The Yellow Wallpaper

This is of course the most important symbol in the story. The narrator is immediately fascinated and disgusted by the yellow wallpaper, and her understanding and interpretation fluctuates and intensifies throughout the story.

The narrator, because she doesn’t have anything else to think about or other mental stimulation, turns to the yellow wallpaper as something to analyze and interpret. The pattern eventually comes into focus as bars, and then she sees a woman inside the pattern . This represents feeling trapped.

At the end of the story, the narrator believes that the woman has come out of the wallpaper. This indicates that the narrator has finally merged fully into her psychosis , and become one with the house and domesticated discontent.

Though Jennie doesn’t have a major role in the story, she does present a foil to the narrator. Jennie is John’s sister and their housekeeper, and she is content, or so the narrator believes, to live a domestic life. Though she does often express her appreciation for Jennie’s presence in her home, she is clearly made to feel guilty by Jennie’s ability to run the household unencumbered .

Irony in The Yellow Wallpaper

"The Yellow Wallpaper" makes good use of dramatic and situational irony. Dramatic literary device in which the reader knows or understands things that the characters do not. Situational irony is when the character’s actions are meant to do one thing, but actually do another. Here are a few examples.

For example, when the narrator first enters the room with the yellow wallpaper, she believes it to be a nursery . However, the reader can clearly see that the room could have just as easily been used to contain a mentally unstable person.

The best example of situational irony is the way that John continues to prescribe the rest-cure, which worsens the narrator's state significantly. He encourages her to lie down after meals and sleep more, which causes her to be awake and alert at night, when she has time to sit and evaluate the wallpaper.

The Yellow Wallpaper Summary

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is one of the defining works of feminist literature. Writing about a woman’s health, mental or physical, was considered a radical act at the time that Perkins Gilman wrote this short story. Writing at all about the lives of women was considered at best, frivolous, and at worst dangerous. When you take a look at The Yellow Wallpaper analysis, the story is an important look into the role of women in marriage and society, and it will likely be a mainstay in the feminist literary canon.

What's Next?

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Carrie holds a Bachelors in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College, and is currently pursuing an MFA. She worked in book publishing for several years, and believes that books can open up new worlds. She loves reading, the outdoors, and learning about new things.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — The Yellow Wallpaper

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Essays on The Yellow Wallpaper

If you're looking for a fascinating topic for your next essay, look no further than "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman! 📚 This classic piece of literature offers a treasure trove of themes and insights that will keep your readers hooked. Exploring the eerie, mysterious world of the story, its historical context, and the author's intentions can lead to an exceptional essay that will impress your teachers and peers alike. Let's dive into the madness together! 🌼

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Topics for "The Yellow Wallpaper" 📝

Choosing the perfect topic for your essay is essential to ensure you have an engaging and well-researched piece. Here are some tips to help you pick the right one:

The Yellow Wallpaper Argumentative Essay 🤨

An argumentative essay on "The Yellow Wallpaper" requires you to take a stance on a particular issue within the story. Some great topics include:

  • 1. The portrayal of women's mental health in the 19th century
  • 2. The role of gender in the story's confinement theme
  • 3. Was John, the husband, truly a villain?

The Yellow Wallpaper Cause and Effect Essay 🤯

Exploring cause and effect relationships can be captivating. Consider these topics:

  • 1. The consequences of isolation on the protagonist's mental state
  • 2. How societal norms led to the narrator's decline
  • 3. The impact of the wallpaper on the narrator's descent into madness

The Yellow Wallpaper Opinion Essay 😌

Express your personal opinions and interpretations with these essay topics:

  • 1. Your take on the narrator's relationship with the wallpaper
  • 2. Analyze the symbolism of the room's colors according to your perspective
  • 3. Why the story remains relevant in today's society

The Yellow Wallpaper Informative Essay 🧐

Inform and educate your readers with these informative essay topics:

  • 1. The historical context of women's mental health treatment in the 19th century
  • 2. The life and influences of Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  • 3. Psychological analysis of the protagonist's descent into madness

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Example 📄

The yellow wallpaper thesis statement examples 📜.

Here are five examples of strong thesis statements for your essay:

  • 1. "In 'The Yellow Wallpaper,' Charlotte Perkins Gilman portrays the damaging effects of the patriarchy on women's mental health, highlighting the need for autonomy and self-expression."
  • 2. "The symbolism of the yellow wallpaper reflects the protagonist's struggle for freedom and individuality in a repressive society."
  • 3. "John's well-intentioned but oppressive actions towards his wife ultimately drive her to madness in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Introduction Examples 🚀

Here are three captivating introduction paragraphs to get your essay off to a strong start:

  • 1. "In the eerie world of 'The Yellow Wallpaper,' Charlotte Perkins Gilman delves into the dark corners of a woman's mind trapped by the societal norms of the 19th century."
  • 2. "Step into the room with peeling yellow wallpaper and follow the chilling descent into madness as we analyze Charlotte Perkins Gilman's masterpiece."
  • 3. "The haunting atmosphere of 'The Yellow Wallpaper' draws readers into a world of confinement, madness, and feminist defiance."

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Conclusion Examples 🌟

Conclude your essay with impact using these examples:

  • 1. "In conclusion, 'The Yellow Wallpaper' serves as a powerful critique of a society that stifled women's voices and autonomy, urging us to recognize the importance of mental health and individuality."
  • 2. "As the last layer of wallpaper is torn away, we unveil the disturbing truth of societal oppression. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' reminds us that silence can lead to madness, and it is time to break free."
  • 3. "In the end, the yellow wallpaper's patterns mirror the complexities of the human mind, offering a chilling reflection of the societal constraints that once confined women. Gilman's work will continue to resonate as a symbol of rebellion and empowerment."

"The Yellow Wallpaper": Portrayal of Women's Oppression in The 19th Century

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Comparison Between "The Story of an Hour" and "The Yellow Wallpaper"

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The Importance of The Point of View in The Yellow Wallpaper

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Literary Analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman

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1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Short story; Psychological fiction, Gothic literature

The Woman in the Wallpaper, John, Mary, Narrator, Jennie

Based on the theme of madness and being powerless. According to an article in Forerunner magazine’s publication in 1913, The Yellow Wallpaper has been loosely based on the author's own mental illness that she has been going through because of postpartum depression.

Feminism, madness, loneliness, isolation, mental illness , fear, postpartum depression.

It has been influenced by early feminism and gender relations in late 19th-century America. It also deals with the mental breakdown and the postpartum depression, loneliness, and isolation. The Yellow Wallpaper became a symbol of a mental disease and the covering of female loneliness and lack of help after becoming a mother.

It tells a story about a woman who is obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room, which is a symbol of falling into psychosis as a result of depression. As the protagonist is placed on a special "cure" at the rented summer estate with her family, she becomes isolated and slowly becomes insane. The Yellow Wallpaper plot shows the structure of domestic life through the lens of madness and the early feminism outlook.

The book has been written by Gilman to persuade her physician that his ways have been wrong. The "Yellow Wallpaper" has been a helping grace for many other women to escape insanity. Some publishers believed that this story was too depressing and rejected to publish it. It is one of the earliest feminism-related stories ever published. Hysteria was among the most frequent diagnoses that was common for women in the 19th century. Gilman has never been paid for her initial publication of the story. Gilman has testified before Congress in favor of woman suffrage at the 1896 Hearing of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

“But I MUST say what I feel and think in some way — it is such a relief! But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief.” “I never saw a worse paper in my life. One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin.” “You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well underway in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream.” “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.” “I am glad my case is not serious! But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.”

The culmination of this short story is so-called "rest-cure" of the Victorian times that has been meant to cure hysteria, loneliness, sadness, or any nervous condition in women living in those times.

It is an important work of art that brings up the issue of a mental breakdown that has been ignored in the 19th century. It also speaks of gender relations and the postpartum depression treatment where the men do not see any problem and choose to ignore it. As the story with the relative feminism and the use of symbols, it is a poignant story that is both disturbing and sincere to explain that the problem of depression and a mental breakdown does exist. As the essay topic, it is used to explain the gender relations and the domestic life of women.

1. Gilman, C. P. (2011). Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper?. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-psychiatric-treatment/article/why-i-wrote-the-yellow-wallpaper/9F0803493F9D522712BB4B31BA5CCDC2 Advances in psychiatric treatment, 17(4), 265-265. 2. Lanser, S. S. (1989). Feminist criticism," The Yellow Wallpaper," and the politics of color in America. Feminist Studies, 15(3), 415-441. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3177938) 3. Shumaker, C. (1985). Too terribly good to be printed": Charlotte Gilman's" The Yellow Wallpaper. American Literature, 57(4), 588-599. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2926354) 4. Davison, C. M. (2004). Haunted House/Haunted Heroine: Female Gothic Closets in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Women's Studies, 33(1), 47-75. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00497870490267197) 5. Oakley, A. (1997). Beyond the yellow wallpaper. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0968808097900835 Reproductive Health Matters, 5(10), 29-39. 6. Hume, B. A. (1991). Gilman's" interminable grotesque": The Narrator of" The Yellow Wallpaper". Studies in Short Fiction, 28(4), 477. (https://www.proquest.com/openview/03ec7eec8bbc6db59ba8fa48aff47def/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1820858) 7. Hume, B. A. (2002). Managing Madness in Gilman's" The Yellow Wall-Paper". Studies in American Fiction, 30(1), 3-20. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/439664/summary) 8. Johnson, G. (1989). Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in The Yellow Wallpaper. Studies in Short Fiction, 26(4), 521. (https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/facpubs/1938/) 9. Bak, J. S. (1994). Escaping the jaundiced eye: Foucauldian Panopticism in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's" The Yellow Wallpaper.". Studies in Short Fiction, 31(1), 39-47. (https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA15356232&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00393789&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E2783693e)

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how to write an essay on yellow wallpaper

Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’

By Dr Oliver Tearle

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, has the structure and style of a diary. This is in keeping with what the female narrator tells us: that she can only write down her experiences when her husband John is not around, since he has forbidden her to write until she is well again, believing it will overexcite her.

Through a series of short instalments, we learn more about the narrator’s situation, and her treatment at the hands of her doctor husband and her sister-in-law. You can read ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ here before moving on to our summary and analysis below.

To summarise the story, then: the narrator and her husband John, a doctor, have come to stay at a large country house. As the story develops, we realise that the woman’s husband has brought her to the house in order to try to cure her of her mental illness (he has told her that repairs are being carried out on their home, which is why they have had to relocate to a mansion).

His solution, or treatment, is effectively to lock her away from everyone – including her own family, except for him – and to forbid her anything that might excite her, such as writing. (She writes her account of what happens to her, and the effect it has on her, in secret, hiding her pen and paper when her husband or his sister come into the room.)

John’s suggested treatment for his wife also extends to relieving her of maternal duties: their baby is taken out of her hands and looked after by John’s sister, Jennie. Jennie also does all of the cooking and housework.

It becomes clear, as the story develops, that depriving the female narrator of anything to occupy her mind is making her mental illness worse, not better.

The narrator confides that she cannot even cry in her husband’s company, or when anyone else is present, because that will be interpreted as a sign that her condition is worsening – and her husband has promised (threatened?) to send her to another doctor, Weir Mitchell, if her condition doesn’t show signs of improving. And according to a female friend who has been treated by him, Weir Mitchell is like her husband and brother ‘only more so’ (i.e. stricter).

The narrator then outlines in detail how she sometimes sits for hours on end in her room, tracing the patterns in the yellow wallpaper. She then tells us she thinks she can see a woman ‘stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern.’ At this point, she changes her mind, and goes from being fond of the pattern in the yellow wallpaper to wishing she could go away from the place.

She tells John that she isn’t getting any better in this house and that she would like to leave, but he tells her she is looking healthier and that they cannot return home for another three weeks, until their lease is up and the ‘repairs’ at home have been completed.

Despondent, the narrator tells us how she is becoming more obsessed by the yellow wallpaper, especially at night when she is unable to sleep and so lies awake watching the pattern in the wallpaper, which she says resembles a fungus.

She starts to fear her husband. She becomes paranoid that her husband and sister-in-law, Jennie, are trying to decipher the pattern in the yellow wallpaper, and she becomes determined to beat them to it. (Jennie was actually checking the wallpaper because the thought it was staining their clothes; this is the reason she gives to the narrator when asked about it, anyway. However, the more likely reason is that she and John have noticed the narrator’s obsession with looking at the wallpaper, and are becoming concerned.)

Next, the narrator tells us she has noticed the strange smell of the wallpaper, and tells us she seriously considered burning down the house to try to solve the mystery of what she smell was. She concludes that it is simply ‘a yellow smell!’ We now realise that the narrator is losing her mind rather badly.

She becomes convinced that the ‘woman behind’ the yellow wallpaper is shaking it, thus moving the front pattern of the paper. She says she has seen this woman creeping about the grounds of the house during the day; she returns to behind the wallpaper at night.

The narrator then tells us that she believes John and Jennie have become ‘affected’ by the wallpaper – that they are losing their minds from being exposed to it.

So the narrator begins stripping the yellow wallpaper from the walls, much to the consternation of Jennie. John has all of his wife’s things moved out of the room, ready for them to leave the house. While John is out, the narrator locks herself inside the now bare room and throws the key out the window, so she cannot be disturbed.

She has become convinced that there are many creeping women roaming the grounds of the house, all of them originating from behind the yellow wallpaper, and that she is one of them. The story ends with her husband banging on the door to be let in, fetching the key when she tells him it’s down by the front door mat, and bursting into the room – whereupon he faints, at the sight of his wife creeping around the room.

That concludes our attempt to summarise the ‘plot’ of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’.

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ begins by dangling the idea that what we are about to read is a haunted house story, a Gothic tale, a piece of horror. Why else, wonders the story’s female narrator, would the house be available so cheaply unless it was haunted? And why had it remained unoccupied for so long? This is how many haunted house tales begin.

And this will turn out to be true, in many ways – the story is often included in anthologies of horror fiction, and there is a ‘haunting’ of a kind going on in the story – but as ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ develops we realise we’re reading something far more unsettling than a run-of-the-mill haunted house story, because the real ghosts and demons are either inside the narrator’s troubled mind or else her own husband and her sister-in-law.

Of course, these two things are linked. Because one of the ‘morals’ of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ – if ‘moral’ is not too strong a word to use of such a story – is that the husband’s treatment of his wife’s mental illness only succeeds in making her worse , rather than better, until her condition reaches the point where she is completely mad, suffering from hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. So ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is a haunted house story … but the only ghosts are inside the narrator’s head.

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ borrows familiar tropes from a Gothic horror story – it ends with the husband taking an axe to the bedroom door where his cowering wife is imprisoned – but the twist is that, by the end of the story, she has imprisoned herself in her deluded belief that she is protecting her husband from the ‘creeping women’ from behind the wallpaper, and he is prepared to beat down the door with an axe out of genuine concern for his sick wife, rather than to butcher her, Bluebeard or Jack Torrance style.

Narrative Style

As we mentioned at the beginning of this analysis, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ has the structure and style of a diary. This is in keeping with what the female narrator tells us: that she can only write down her experiences when her husband John is not around. But it also has the effect of shifting the narrative tense: from the usual past tense to the more unusual present tense.

Only one year separates ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ from George Egerton’s first volume of short stories , which made similarly pioneering use of present-tense narration in order to depict female consciousness.

The literary critic Ruth Robbins has made the argument that the past tense (or ‘perfect tense’) is unsuited to some modes of fiction because it offers the ‘perspective that leads to judgment’: because events have already occurred, we feel in a position to judge the characters involved.

Present-tense narration deters us from doing this so readily, for two reasons. First, we are thrown in amongst the events, experiencing them as they happen almost, so we feel complicit in them. Second, because things are still unfolding seemingly before our very eyes, we feel that to attempt to pass judgment on what’s happening would be too rash and premature: we don’t know for sure how things are going to play out yet.

Given that Gilman is writing about a mentally unstable woman being mistreated by her male husband (and therefore, given his profession, by the medical world too), her decision to plunge us headlong into the events of the story encourages us to listen to what the narrator is telling us before we attempt to pronounce on what’s going on.

The fact that ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is narrated in the first person, from the woman’s own perspective and in her own voice, is also a factor: the only access we have to her treatment (or mistreatment) and to her husband’s behaviour and personality is through her: what she tells us and how she tells it to us.

But there is another narrative advantage to this present-tense diary structure: we as readers are forced to appraise everything we are told by the narrator, and scrutinise it carefully, deciding whether we are being told the whole story or whether the narrator, in her nervous and unstable state, may not be seeing things as they really are.

A good example of this is when, having told us at length how she follows the patterns on the yellow wallpaper on the walls of her room, sometimes for hours on end, the narrator then tells us she is glad her baby doesn’t have to live in the same room, because someone as ‘impressionable’ as her child wouldn’t do well in such a room.

The dramatic irony which the narrator cannot see but which we, tragically, can, is that she is every bit as impressionable as a small child, and the yellow wallpaper – and, more broadly, her effective incarceration – is clearly having a deleterious effect on her mental health. (The story isn’t perfect: Gilman telegraphs the irony a little too strongly when, in the next breath, she has her narrator tell us, with misplaced confidence, ‘I can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see.’)

In the last analysis, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is so unsettling because it plays with established Gothic horror conventions and then subverts them in order to expose the misguided medical practices used in an attempt to ‘treat’ or ‘cure’ women who are suffering from mental or nervous disorders. It has become a popular feminist text about the male mistreatment of women partly because the ‘villain’, the narrator’s husband John, is acting out of a genuine (if hubristic) belief that he knows what’s best for her.

The whole field of nineteenth-century patriarchal society and the way it treats women thus comes under scrutiny, in a story that is all the more powerful for refusing to preach, even while it lets one such mistreated woman speak for herself.

how to write an essay on yellow wallpaper

10 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’”

I absolutely loved this story. read it a few times in a row when I first crossed paths with it a few years ago –

“The Yellow Wallpaper” remains one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. Excellent analysis!

Fantastic book.

I cringe every time this story appears on a reading list or in a curriculum textbook. It’s almost hysterical in tone and quite disturbing in how overstated the “abuse” of the wife is supposed to be. It’s right up there with “The Awakening” as feminist literature that hinders, instead of promoting, the dilemma of 19th century women.

How is it overstated?

To witness the woman’s unraveling and how ignored she is, to me, a profound statement how people with emotional distress are not treated with respect.

  • Pingback: ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’: A Summary of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Story – Interesting Literature

Terrific analysis. Gothic fiction is always open to many forms of reading and particularly for feminist reading – as openly presented by Angela Carter’ neo-gothic stories (which I would love to read your analyses of one day Oliver!). ‘the Yellow Wallpaper’ I think is the go-to story for most feminist commentators on Gothic fiction – and rightly so. I can’t help notice the connections between this story and the (mis)treatments of Sigmund Freud. Soooo much in this story to think about that I feel like a kiddie in sweet shop!

Thank you as always, Ken, for the thoughtful comment – and I completely agree about the links with Freud. The 1890s really was a pioneering age for psychiatric treatment/analysis, though we cringe at some of the ideas that were seriously considered (and put into practice). Oddly enough I’ve just been rearranging the pile of books on the floor of my study here at IL Towers, and The Bloody Chamber is near the top of my list of books to cover in due course!

I will wait with abated breath for your thoughts! I love Angela Carter :)

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The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Topics & Samples

At some point in your studying, you might be asked to produce The Yellow Wallpaper analysis essay. Well, if you’re reading this, you have already received this task! Let’s start by choosing a suitable topic to write about.

Our specialists will write a custom essay specially for you!

This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains The Yellow Wallpaper essay topics, The Yellow Wallpaper essay prompts, and writing samples. Go on reading if you want to learn more!

  • 🌟 How to Choose
  • 💡 Essay Topics
  • ✒️ Essay Samples

🌟 The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Topics: How to Choose

First of all, you need to think about the topic of your paper. One way to choose a writing idea is to consider the main facts about The Yellow Wallpaper :

  • The story was written at the end of the 19th century about mental disorder treatment of that time.
  • It is considered one of the strongest and most prominent pieces of feminist literature .

These facts might be your first clue for choosing an essay topic. Try to look at the issues of mental health and gender stereotypes from your perspective.

In case you don’t particularly fancy the theme of feminism in The Yellow Wallpaper , there are many other options to choose from. Here are two tips that will help you pick an essay topic: 

  • Try highlighting the moments that stand out for you in the story. Then, expand on them in your paper.
  • Write down any questions you might have during the reading to use them later.

However, if you don’t want to spend too much time on it, jump straight away to our list of topics for The Yellow Wallpaper essays.

Just in 1 hour! We will write you a plagiarism-free paper in hardly more than 1 hour

💡 The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Topics

  • The meaning of the story’s title. 
  • The Yellow Wallpaper  as a horror story. 
  • Representation of madness in the story. 
  • The significance of the unnamed narrator. 
  • Color symbolism in Gilman’s story. 
  • Explain why the story’s ending is optimistic. 
  • Study the use of Gothic elements in the narrative. 
  • Why  The Yellow Wallpaper  is still relevant today. 
  • The meaning of “creeping” in The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • Comparison of A Rose for Emily and The Yellow Wallpaper .  
  • John as Dr. Mitchel’s double in  The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • The symbolism of a fixed bed in Gilman’s story. 
  • Marriage in The Yellow Wallpaper and The Story of an Hour .  
  • Infantilization of the story’s protagonist by her husband. 
  • Describe the role of nature in  The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • How a 19 th -century woman’s yearnings are presented by Gilman. 
  • Examine the trope of the haunted house in  The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • Writing as a process of self-assertion in The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • How Gilman’s story influenced mental health treatment of women. 
  • The perils of marriage and motherhood in The Yellow Wallpaper . 

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Prompts

  • Study the issue of the gender roles in the story and compare it to modern norms. The Yellow Wallpaper highlights the problem of the suppression of women. Your essay on this topic may include some comments on family life as well. Since this topic is quite popular, we also suggest presenting your unique interpretation of this question.
  • The Yellow Wallpaper’s conclusion: different versions. How do you understand the ending of the story? Why, in your opinion, did the author cut it at that specific moment? Brainstorm these questions and try to figure out what would be the best interpretation. Don’t forget to support your opinion with fair arguments.
  • What is the relationship between the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper and her diary? The main character seems to get some relief from journaling her thoughts and daily life events. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help prevent the total crash of her identity at the end of the story. You can write The Yellow Wallpaper character analysis essay about it.
  • Draw a parallel between the description of the wallpaper and the mental health of the narrator. We can notice the change in the writing as the mental illness of the narrator progresses. Look into one particular aspect there: the description of the wallpaper. How does the pattern change in foreshadowing future breakdown?
  • Compare The Yellow Wallpaper to another feminist piece of writing of the same time frame Here it would be perfect if you found some unique elements that Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses in her story. Don’t forget that the focus of this essay should be on the theme of feminism . For better outcomes, add a quotation as a hook at the beginning of your essay.
  • The Yellow Wallpaper and marriage : is it the fault of the husband? Most people prefer to blame the husband in this story. Indeed, in the 19th century, women didn’t have much choice. However, we can see that the narrator has the power to resist the control of her husband. She doesn’t understand that she can do it.
  • The role of personification as a tool used by Charlotte Perkins Gilman It would help if you wrote a literary analysis essay on The Yellow Wallpaper . Go through the story’s plot again and find out why personification is used at some moments. How does it affect the writing’s mood, and doesn’t Gilman use some other devices there?
  • Stigmatizing postpartum depression in The Yellow Wallpaper . This issue is slightly related to The Yellow Wallpaper essay on feminism. Most women’s psychological problems are neglected as only being “in the head.” Miserable were those suffering postpartum depression, as one can see from the treatment plan chosen by John in the story.
  • Explore different literary devices that are used to highlight the issue of depression in The Yellow Wallpaper . Analyze what the narrator writes about her state and find the literary devices that Gilman uses to relate to it. For instance, repetition points out the confusion on the one hand and hopelessness on the other.
  • Can we trust the narrator? The point of view in The Yellow Wallpaper plays an important role. The reader can only perceive the events through the narrator’s eyes. However, it means that some things can be not that obvious. Try to analyze the hints and symbolism to find out the missing part of the story.

Top 12 The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Questions

  • What is the role of creativity in the protagonist’s journey? 
  • What imagery helps to convey the main character’s isolation? 
  • Why does the woman in the wallpaper go in circles? 
  • How does the protagonist’s mental state change throughout the story? 
  • How does the main character’s confinement contribute to her mental decline? 
  • In what ways does Jennie represent a patriarchal woman in  The Yellow Wallpaper ? 
  • Why does the main character hide her diary from others?  
  • How does The Yellow Wallpaper portray the 19 th century’s cult of true womanhood?  
  • Why is S. Weir Mitchel’s real name mentioned in the story?  
  • How does the story challenge traditional notions of femininity and domesticity? 
  • How does the setting of the nursery convey the protagonist’s sense of loss and longing? 
  • How does the protagonist’s journey in  The Yellow Wallpaper  reflect the broader feminist movement of the time? 

Top 15 The Yellow Wallpaper Research Paper Topics

  • Analyze the story through the prism of male gaze. 
  • The juxtaposition of logical men vs. irrational women in the story. 
  • The Yellow Wallpaper and Freud’s misconceptions about hysteria. 
  • How Gilman’s story relates to Cixous’ ideas about ĂŠcriture feminine. 
  • Foucault’s Panopticon Effect as portrayed in The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • Analysis of Gilman’s story through the lens of Simone de Beauvoir.  
  • The Yellow Wallpaper : comparison to The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. 
  • The wallpaper pattern as the bars of a prison constructed by society. 
  • Analyze the binary opposition presented in the story through the prism of Jacques Lacan’s ideas of the Imaginary and the Symbolic orders. 
  • Interpret the rhizomatic identity of the main character in The Yellow Wallpaper via Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of schizoanalysis. 
  • How does madness liberate the main character from patriarchal concepts of femininity? 
  • Daylight universe of masculinity vs. the nighttime world of imagination in The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • How The Yellow Wallpaper had predicted the problem of “the trapped housewife” in America. 
  • Internalized and shared patriarchal values in women characters from The Yellow Wallpaper . 
  • How the wallpaper in the story represents the main character’s subconscious. 

✒️ The Yellow Wallpaper: Essay Samples

Below you’ll find a collection of The Yellow Wallpaper essay examples. Hope you’ll find them useful!

  • “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Key Themes
  • Alger’s “Ragged Dick” and Gilman’s “Yellow Wallpaper”
  • “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Laugh of the Medusa”
  • Social Values and Norms in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
  • American Women in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”
  • Symbolism in “The Yellow Wallpaper”
  • The Story of an Hour and The Yellow Wallpaper: Comparison
  • Mental Illness in The Yellow Wallpaper
  • The Yellow Wallpaper and Everyday Use Literature: Comparison
  • Women Characters in Chopin’s, Gilman’s, Faulkner’s Stories
  • Isolation, Patriarchy, Materialism, and Mental Illness in “The Yellow Wallpaper”  
  • “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Review  
  • Plots of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”  
  • Feminist “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman  
  • Literary Elements in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”  
  • The Description of Wallpaper in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman  
  • Color in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman  
  • “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Perkins  
  • Gender in The Great Gatsby & The Yellow Wallpaper  
  • Uncovering the Wallpaper in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”  
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The Yellow Wallpaper Study Guide

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how to write an essay on yellow wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay: Example and Tips

how to write an essay on yellow wallpaper

Do you want to learn to write better? Good essays are often perceived as art, and this, of course, sounds scary. But do not worry. The ability to write well involves certain rules, it is a kind of science. What rules should you know to write essays that the brain will like?

  • 1 How to write good essays
  • 2 Examples of topics for essays about The Yellow Wallpaper
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Main part. 1st paragraph. Gilman’s Interpretation of The Yellow Wallpaper
  • 3.3 Main part. 2nd paragraph. Feminist Interpretation of The Yellow Wallpaper
  • 3.4 Main part. 3rd paragraph. Other Interpretations of The Yellow Wallpaper
  • 3.5 Conclusion

How to write good essays

We present you a list of not obvious tips, which can help you make your writing more attractive and interesting for the reader:

  • One of the main misconceptions is that it is necessary to express the thought literary, do not write dryly, pour water, expand the text due to the abundance of words, descriptions, complex structures. All the way around. If you have fully expressed a thought or situation and have shown all its complexity in three paragraphs – excellent. Let it be so. If, for example, you were asked to write an essay “not less than 6,000 characters”, and you have no more than 3,000, then turn around a thought, a plot, look for shades that would be healthy to say, remember others situations and describe them. But in general, a smart teacher will accept 3000 – if the author captured his attention in this short segment.
  • The shorter the better. Imagine that a very long sentence appears in our text. Somewhere in the middle the reader will be lost in it, without following the logic. But as soon as a long sentence is broken into several short ones, attention and positive perception are activated again.
  • Different lengths of sentences make the text dynamic, it is easier and more fun to read, gradually learning each line.
  • If you are writing an informational or analytical text, do not forget about the law of high readability: the shorter the word, the higher the readability. In English, a word containing free syllables is considered to be long, in a professional environment there is even a special designation “words 4+”. And when it is necessary to reveal the readability of the text, the following gradation is used:
  • high readability – up to 10% of long words;
  • average readability – 10–30% of long words;
  • low readability – over 30%.
  • People always carefully read what is listed. So, if part of your story can be presented as a bulleted or numbered list, do it and make sure: the result will be visually appealing.
  • Connect your own experience – both positive and negative. The best stories are your personal adventures (the reader can only learn about them from you).
  • Use visualization words: imagine, look, remember, etc.
  • Write in aphorisms.
  • Difficult, but possible: write so that your smile is felt by the reader. Of course, it concerns cases when you write about something positive.

Examples of topics for essays about The Yellow Wallpaper

  • Feminist interpretation of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins- Gilman – used as example
  • Main characters of The Yellow Wallpaper and their role in the short story
  • Literature analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper
  • Social prerequisites of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins- Gilman
  • Role of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins- Gilman in the development of feminism movement

The Yellow Wallpaper essay example. Feminist interpretation of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins- Gilman

Introduction.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a popular short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine. The novel is viewed as an important early work of American feminist literature.

The story consists of 6,000 words. The story is told from the first person in the form of a diary of a certain woman placed in a room with yellow wallpaper because of postpartum psychosis. The novel written by Gilman after a hard struggle with postpartum psychosis is thus semi-autobiographical.

Jane’s husband, John, the main character of the work, believes that it is in her interest to go on medical rest after the birth of their child. The family spends the summer in a rented colonial mansion, which, according to the narrator, is “something strange”. Jane is locked up in a room upstairs in which, as Jane herself believes, used to be a child’s room. The windows here are boarded up, the wallpaper is torn and the floor is scratched. Jane begins to suspect that another woman was once imprisoned here against her will. The reader is not sure if the damage was caused in the room by the previous resident or the narrator herself, since Jane herself also spoils the situation (once, for example, she bites the wooden bed frame).

Jane keeps a diary secretly from her husband, in which he writes a lot of notes about the wallpaper in the room – their “yellow” smell, “dizzy” pattern, missing parts and how they leave yellow strokes on their skin and clothes when you touch them. She describes how the bedroom increases in length, especially when the wallpaper begins to mutate in the moonlight. In the absence of other incentives, the look of the wallpaper, their design, becomes more and more intriguing for the narrator. Soon she begins to see the figure in the wallpaper pattern and, eventually, comes to the conclusion that there is a woman hiding behind them. Believing that she should try to free the woman from the wallpaper, Jane begins to tear off the remaining paper from the wall.

On the last day of summer, she locks herself in her room to remove the remnants of the wallpaper from the walls. When John decides to return home, Jane refuses to unlock the door. Returning with a key, he finds his wife in circles crawling around the room and touching the wallpaper. She exclaims: “I finally got out!” And John faints, and she continues to circle the room, stepping over her inert husband every time she passes by.

Main part. 1st paragraph. Gilman’s Interpretation of The Yellow Wallpaper

Gilman used literary creativity to explore the role of women in America at that time. She studied issues such as restricting women’s life to the walls of a house and the oppressive power of a patriarchal society. Gilman’s works paved the way for writers such as Alice Walker and Sylvia Plath.

In Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman portrays the madness of the narrator as a way to protest against the medical and professional oppression of women of that era. The impression was made that husbands and male doctors acted with the best of intentions, portraying women mentally injurious and fragile. At the same time, women’s advocates believed that the anger of women diagnosed with mental illness was a manifestation of their inability to properly play the social role assigned to them by dominant men.

Women were not even encouraged to write, because their writing would ultimately form a personality and become a form of disobedience. Gilman realized that the letter was one of the few permitted forms of female existence in times of powerlessness.

Gilman explained that the idea for the work originated from her patient experience: “The real purpose of the work was to reach out to psychiatrist Silas Weir Mitchell and convince him that he was going the wrong way.” She suffered from depression and consulted a well-known medical specialist who prescribed her “complete rest”, a method that demanded “to live as domestic life as possible”. She was forbidden to touch a pen, pencil or brush and was allowed only two hours of mental stimulation per day.

Three months later, almost in despair, Gilman decided to disregard the diagnosis and began to work again. Realizing how close she was to complete mental disorder, she wrote “Yellow Wallpaper” with additions and exaggerations to illustrate her complaint about an incorrect diagnosis. She sent a copy to Mitchell, but never received a response.

She added that The Yellow Wallpaper “was not written to make people crazy, but to save them from insanity, and it worked.” Gilman claimed: many years later, she learned that Mitchell had changed the methods of treatment, but literary historian Julie Bates Doc denied this information. Mitchell continued to develop his methods, and in 1908 — already 16 years after the publication of the Yellow Wallpaper — he was interested in opening hospitals entirely devoted to rest, so that his treatment would be more accessible to the masses.

Main part. 2nd paragraph. Feminist Interpretation of The Yellow Wallpaper

This story was interpreted by feminist critics as a condemnation of male control over nineteenth-century medicine. The narrator’s thoughts about recovery (she should work, not rest, rotate in society, and not remain in isolation, perform maternal duties, and not completely distance herself from her child, etc.) go out of control of the language stereotyped as irrational, and therefore not mistaken about the state of identity. This interpretation is based on the concept of the “home sphere,” in which women of that era were imprisoned.

Feminist critics focus on the triumphal finale of the story. While some argue that the storyteller was distraught, others interpret the ending as finding a female self in a marriage that made a woman feel trapped. The emphasis on reading and writing as gender practices also emphasized the importance of the symbol for wallpaper. When the narrator was not allowed to keep a diary or read, she began to “read” the wallpaper until she found the desired salvation. Seeing women on the wallpaper, the narrator realizes that she can not spend her life behind bars. At the end of the story, when her husband lies unconscious on the floor, she crawls through his body, symbolically rising above him. This is interpreted as a victory over her husband to the detriment of her sanity.

Susan S. Lancer in the articles “Yellow Wallpaper: Feminist Criticism” and “American Color Politics” apologizes modern feminism and its role in changing literary theory and practice. “Yellow wallpapers” were one of many books lost to readers because of the ideology that characterized a number of works as grim or offensive. Critics such as the editor of the journal Atlantic Monthly, rejected the story. Lancer claims that the work of Edgar Allan Poe also tells about poverty and devastation, but his works are still being printed and studied.

The Yellow wallpaper provided feminists with critical tools for different interpretations of literary creativity. Lancer says that the story was “a particularly favorable model for such a rethinking … because the narrator herself comes to a kind of feminist interpretation when she tries to “read” the wallpaper. The narrator tries to reduce the meanings that open in the drawings to a common denominator. At first, she focuses on the inconsistency of the pattern: it is “bright”, but at the same time “stupid”, “clear”, but at the same time “curved” and “vague”. She takes into account the laws and tries to geometrically arrange them, but she gets even more confused. Wallpapers change shade depending on the lighting and emit a distinct smell that Jane cannot recognize. At night, the narrator sees a woman behind bars in a complex wallpaper design. Lancer claims that Jane was able to find “a text space where she can detect any self-prediction.” Lancer creates a connection between the narrator and the reader. Both the one and the other, in contact with a complex confusing text, are trying to find one basic meaning. “So we were taught to read,” writes Lancer, explaining why readers cannot fully understand the text. Patriarchal ideology deprived many scholars of the opportunity to interpret and appreciate such stories as the Yellow Wallpaper. Thanks to feminist criticism, The Yellow wallpaper have become a textbook reading from the standard curriculum. Feminists have made a great contribution to the study of literature, but according to Lancer, their point of view is not absolute, because “if we recognize the fact of the participation of women writers and readers in the dominant discourse and social practices, perhaps our own standards should also be deconstructed since we have to recover still hidden or missed senses.”

Martha J. Cutter, in her article “The Writer as a Doctor: New Models of Medical Discourses in Late Prose by Charlotte Perkins Gilman,” tells how Gilman in her writings fights with male medical institutions “trying to silence a Woman”. Gilman’s works challenge the female social role in the patriarchal medical discourse, showing women to “silent, powerless, and passive” creatures who refuse treatment. Even before the publication of her works, between 1840 and 1890, women were actively positioned as painful and weaker creatures than men. During this period, it was a misconception that “hysteria” (a disease that, according to the stereotype, is more common in women) is the result of too extensive education. It was believed that women who studied at home or in college, excessively stimulated their brains and, therefore, fell ill with hysteria. In fact, many of the diseases attributed to women were seen due to the patient’s loss of self-control. Doctors argued that a doctor should “talk in an authoritative tone” and that a “recovered” woman was “submissive, obedient, quiet and, above all, subordinate to the will and decisions of the doctor”. A hysterical woman is one who craves for power, and, in order to recover, must obey the doctor, whose task is to suppress the desires of the patient. Women were often prescribed bed rest – a form of treatment that was supposed to “tame” them and create the effect of a prison. Such methods were a way to discourage women from rebelliousness and make them conform to social roles. In his works, Gilman stresses that the harm caused to women by such treatment leads to the loss of her own voice. Paula Treyhler explains: “In this story, a public and powerful diagnosis is voiced … This is a man’s voice … that controls a woman narrator and dictates how she should perceive the world and talk about it.” The latent function of the diagnosis is to empower the male voice and weaken the female patients. The story-teller in The Yellow Wallpaper is forbidden to participate in her own treatment or diagnosis, and she has to completely obey the doctor, and her husband tells in this particular story. A male voice has the power to control a woman and decides how she can perceive the world and talk about it.

Main part. 3rd paragraph. Other Interpretations of The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper is sometimes referred to as an example of Gothic literature on the treatment of madness and fatigue. Alan Ryan, for example, wrote about the story: “Absolutely, regardless of who created it, it is one of the most beautiful and most powerful horror stories ever written. Perhaps this is a ghost story.” Howard Phillips Lovecraft, the pioneer of the horror genre, writes in his essay Supernatural Horror in Literature (1927): The Story Yellow Wallpaper rises to the level of classics, finely painting a picture of madness that creeps on a woman living in a monstrously smoky room where madness was locked up.”

Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz in the book “Not a Minute of Rest: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the creation of the Yellow Wallpaper” concludes that “this story was a cry from the heart to [the first husband Gilman, artist Charles Walter] Stetson and protesting against the traditional marriage he demanded. Gilman tried to dismiss the charge in order to protect her daughter Catherine and her stepmother, Gilman Grace Channing’s girlfriend.

Anglican Archbishop Peter Karnley used the story as an example and metaphor for the position of women in the church when he read a sermon before the ordination of the first women priests in Australia on March 7, 1992 (St. George’s Cathedral in Perth).

Sari Edelstein argued that The Yellow Wallpaper is an allegory of Gilman’s hatred of incipient yellow journalism. By writing an essay for The Forerunner in November 1909, Gilman made it clear that she wanted the press to be more insightful and not rely on hyperbolic stories and flashy headlines. Gilman often faced scandals in the media and resented about newspaper sensations. The link between the narrator and the wallpaper in the storyline resembles Gilman’s relationship with the press. The narrator describes the wallpaper as having “extended bright patterns that artistically depict every sin”. Edelstein argues that, given Gilman’s disgust at the yellow press, this can also be viewed as a description of the tabloids of the time.

Paula A. Treyhler, in The Escape from Sentence: Diagnosis and Discourse in Yellow Wallpaper, focuses on the relationship between the woman and the letter depicted in the story. Instead of viewing the text from the point of view of feminism, seeing the wallpaper as something like “… a pattern underlying sexual inequality, external manifestation of neurasthenia, an unconscious narrator, the fate of a narrator in patriarchy,” Treyhler explains that wallpaper can symbolize the realization discourse and the alienation of the narrator from the world, where she previously could somehow express herself. Treyhler shows that, thanks to the discussion about the language and the letter, Charlotte Perkins Gilman in his story challenges “… the sentence imposed by the device of the patriarchal language.” Although Treyhler considers strictly feminist interpretations legitimate, she writes that wallpaper can be understood as female language and discourse, and a woman found on wallpaper can be “… representation of women, possible only after women have the right to speak.” In her opinion, the text reveals traces of a new struggle – between two forms of writing: the first is the old and the traditional, the other is new and exciting. This is confirmed by the fact that John, the husband of the storyteller, does not like his wife writing anything, so the diary containing this story is kept secret and, therefore, is known only to the storyteller and readers. On closer examination, it turns out that as the contact between the narrator and the wallpaper increases, her speech also increases, as she increasingly writes about frustration and despair.

The first mention of this story I met in the TV series “American horror story” a few years ago. But I read it only now. The mood was on a mystical story, but everything turned out to be completely different, but no less terrible. The doctor and his young wife come to a rented house, where they intend to spend the next three months. A woman suffers from a nervous disease and from not being listened to, not being taken seriously, and not wanting to listen to any of her wishes. The husband tries to show care in his understanding and probably wants to cope with his wife’s neurosis with means that were considered effective in the nineteenth century – he tries to provide her with peace, prescribes to lie down, eat and take vitamins, limits communication (even nurses), point blank without noticing that all this leads to a fatal outcome.

A woman plunges headlong into an obsessive idea of ​​yellow wallpaper that annoys her from the very first day of her stay in the house and this completely drives her crazy. Some details made me think that it’s not the madness of the main character, but a certain mystical power that hides in this room and this wallpaper – in the end, even earlier, there were bars on the previous residents from the windows, bitten furniture and ragged wallpaper … (remember what happened to the main character at the end).

Immediately after reading the story, I wanted to blame the husband for everything, who did not listen to his wife, but after some arguments, my opinion changed. We should also take into account the medicine of the 19th century. John, as a doctor, was confident in the effectiveness of the technique, he in every possible way took care of his wife, worried for her. Wikipedia says that the story is viewed as an important early work of American feminist literature, that the woman behind the wallpaper personifies the oppressed position of women at that time. But the story is only on behalf of the wife, the narrator, i.e. on the one hand, and it is really a pity for her, but I cannot blame her husband, because he did his best to recover her.

The room in which she lived, in fact, was very strange: bars on the windows, torn wallpaper, a bed with numerous teeth marks, mounts on the walls. Dual feeling – on the one hand, it could be a room in which mentally ill people were kept, and on the other, in fact, a nursery, which was converted into a gymnasium. But changing the room would still not have solved all the problems of the narrator.

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How to write the yellow wallpaper analysis essay.

October 1, 2020

The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis Essay

So, you’ve just received your first The Yellow Wallpaper analysis essay assignment. We know it looks scary. Truth be told, writing The Yellow Wallpaper essay is not at all a simple task. However, we are confident that the information contained within this blog post will help you write the paper a lot faster. How fast, you ask? Well, you should be able to complete the project in around 3 hours.

We will explain what this essay is all about and why writing it is so important. We will also show you how to find the best topics and how to create an outline. Of course, you will also find a guide that will help you write The Yellow Wallpaper literary analysis essay as quickly as possible. And if you need more help, don’t forget to check out the last section of this article.

Some Info About The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Before we get to the part where we show you how to write an essay on The Yellow Wallpaper , let’s make sure you understand why this paper is so important. The Yellow Wallpaper , written by Charlotte Perkins-Gilman is a feminist short story set in the 19th century. It explores how mental illness was perceived back then and describes a woman’s place in the 19th century society. Society norms, male-centric preconceptions and the struggles of a woman suffering from post-partum depression are just some of the themes of this masterpiece of literature. In other words, to get a top grade, you need to write The Yellow Wallpaper essay feminism adepts would love. This is easier said than done, unfortunately.

Finding the Best The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Topics

The first thing you need to do if you want to write a perfect The Yellow Wallpaper analysis essay is to find a great topic. Choosing the correct The Yellow Wallpaper theme is very important because it shows your professor that you really did your homework. You’ve dedicated time and effort to finding an interesting topic. In other words, you are on your way to earning some bonus points for your hard work. Here are some The Yellow Wallpaper essay topics that you can use right now (why waste your time searching on other websites?):

  • Would The Yellow Wallpaper be different if the protagonist would be John?
  • Who is to blame for the protagonist’s descent into madness? (excellent The Yellow Wallpaper character analysis essay topic)
  • Analyze the use of symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper .
  • Analyze the use of irony in The Yellow Wallpaper .
  • Analyze the use of foreshadowing in The Yellow Wallpaper .
  • Analyze the mental illness theme in The Yellow Wallpaper .
  • Analyze the violent feminization theme in The Yellow Wallpaper . (a great The Yellow Wallpaper essay thesis)
  • Explore tone and context in The Yellow Wallpaper .
  • Explore the steps to feminine freedom theme in The Yellow Wallpaper .

Start With The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Outline

Did you know that our experienced academic writers always start their writing projects by creating an outline? In fact, the outline is considered to be one of the most important parts of the writing process. As such, you should seriously consider starting with a The Yellow Wallpaper essay outline. Creating one is not at all difficult. You can craft it while doing the research. Basically, you take each main idea and create a heading out of it. Under each heading, use bullet points to outline a few important talking points (these are the subheadings).

If you do it correctly, you end up with a table of contents for your The Yellow Wallpaper analysis. This will act as the backbone of your essay and will keep you focused on the most important ideas. It will be almost impossible to make repetition errors or stray from the subject. An outline keeps your writing well organized, so always start your projects with one. You can also contact us and ask for an outline from one of our seasoned academic writers. You’ll get it in no time.

Quick Guide to Writing a Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Now let’s get to writing a Yellow Wallpaper essay the right way. Basically, writing about this subject is no different from writing on any other topic. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about, the The Yellow Wallpaper characters or the action . Here are the basic steps you need to take to write an excellent The Yellow Wallpaper theme essay as quickly as possible:

  • Pick a topic that is original and interesting. We know, there aren’t many themes to choose from, but we are sure you can find one in the list we’ve put together above. Try to make sure the topic you choose is not something your classmates would pick.
  • Think about the thesis statement. It’s a good idea to write several theses down and pick the best one. Remember, the thesis doesn’t have to be longer than a sentence. It’s basically what you aim to prove with your research and analysis.
  • Do the research and create the outline. Again, the outline is a very important part of the writing process. Don’t skip it.
  • Write the The Yellow Wallpaper essay introduction. It’s a good idea to start with the thesis statement and then continue with some background information about the theme. The last sentence of the intro should be a transition to the first body paragraph.
  • Write the body paragraphs. We advise you to write at least 3 of them (this is called the five paragraph essay structure), even when you’re writing a The Yellow Wallpaper symbolism paper. Discuss one main idea in each paragraph. It’s good practice to start the paragraph with the statement and then use the rest of the paragraph to support it.
  • Write a The Yellow Wallpaper essay conclusion. This is easy, now that you have all the body paragraphs in place. You just need to summarize everything and tell your audience how your analysis and findings support your thesis statement. It’s always a good idea to restate the thesis in the conclusion.
  • Don’t forget to edit and proofread your work. You don’t want to lose precious points just because of a few typos. And don’t forget to properly cite and reference all your sources.

Get Some Professional Assistance

No matter which The Yellow Wallpaper setting you wish to talk about or which theme you want to analyze, there are times when you may need a bit of professional help. Maybe you need a bit of help with the outline or with some ideas. Our academic writers are here to help you in case you run into trouble. We can even send you some original topics and materials. We want to make sure you write the best The Yellow Wallpaper analysis essay. After all, our main goal is to help students get the best grades possible on their hard work.

As you can see, writing the paper is not as difficult as you think. Follow our advice and guide, create an outline, write carefully, and don’t forget that you can get help with a The Yellow Wallpaper essay if needed. Now go get that A+!

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Feminist Perspective on “The Yellow Wallpaper” Essay

Introduction, feminist critique of the yellow wallpaper, works cited.

The short play, The Yellow Wallpaper , by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is based on the lives of a chauvinistic husband and a sick wife. The over-dominating nature of the husband called John makes the environment unbearable for the mentally ill wife Jane. The wife is involuntarily imprisoned by the chauvinistic nature of her husband who would not listen to any of her suggestions. Moreover, John is quick at relating any of her ‘weak ‘ideas to mental illness. This paper presents a critique of the play The Yellow Wallpaper from a feminist perspective by applying symbolism to understand the 1800s society.

Detained in a mental prison as a result of the machination of her husband, the main protagonist Jane is deeply embodied in an unending struggle that women seeking freedom in their thoughts and actions face. The short play The Yellow Wallpaper is written figuratively to connote the gender struggle between men and women, especially in the institution of marriage. Although an open interpretation would denote a psychological thriller, it is apparent that the play was mainly a commentary on the unfortunate conditions of the women population in the 1800s. Especially, it captures the views of the author of how the then patriarchal society was hurting female freedom. For instance, the character of Jane’s chauvinist husband connotes an over-controlling person who cares very little about the thoughts of his wife. He proceeds to confine Jane in an oppressive environment against her will and would not listen to any of her suggestions (Schroder 39). In the conversations, John’s decision is final and cannot be debated by Jane. Although the wife has attempted on several occasions to confront John to change his stand, the conversations often end with the husband reaffirming an antagonist stand (Schroder 41). From a feminist perspective, John’s dominance in the conversations and decision-making on behalf of Jane is representational of female imprisonment and control by men against their will.

From the interaction between John and Jane, the husband is a typical illustration of a spouse who has mastered the art of absolute control. Specifically, he treats Jane as an inferior partner. The wife says that “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in a marriage” (Gilman 1). In the view of the husband, Jane is a partner with weird, laughable, and inconsistent ideas which should not be taken seriously. Moreover, the mockery directed at the sick wife conforms to the expectations of the patriarchal society. However, the dominance is challenged when Jane decided to take command of her thoughts. As a result, the authoritative male figure was trimmed down and he became ‘as weak as a woman’. Jane confesses, “Now why should that man have fainted” (Gilman 17). When John saw the transformation of his wife to an independent thinker, he passes out. He could not believe that a woman could challenge his decision. In this scene, Jane reversed the traditional expectations characterized by male control of the thoughts of women (Golden 23). The shock and eventual fainting of John are triggered by the desire to overexert control over his wife. The husband is determined to conform to the expectations of patriarchal society through exerting dominance in his household.

The ideas and thoughts of Jane are representative of the feminist perspective. For instance, she desires to freely express her thoughts against the barriers imposed by society. Jane is defiant and confesses that “I did write for a while in spite of them” (Gilman 1). As a woman, Jane is depressed until she regains the ability to express her feelings in the hidden journal she is writing. Although she can continue scripting in hiding, Jane is depressed by the need to conceal her activities away from the chauvinistic husband. Specifically, Jane is struggling to remain in the full care of her husband. For instance, she says “he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful to value it more” (Gilman 2). Though the actions of the husband to pay the bills are good, Jane’s resentment is figurative of the resulting feeling of uselessness and imprisonment of the female gender (Tischleder 13). Just like other women, Jane feels the negative pressure imposed on her by society to worship the husband as a primary provider.

The entire plot of the play is exposed in a room that reminisces insanity and scorn from the perspective of a feminist. The empty and dull room is accentuated through the surrounding of Jane in thoughts and actions. For instance, her description of the room is emblematic of a prison-like environment where Jane’s requests cannot be heeded. When she requests the husband to consider repainting the walls, Jane gets a negative response from John. The husband says “that after the wall-paper was changed, it would be the heavy bedstead, and then the barred windows, and then that gate at the head of the stairs, and so on” (Gilman 3).

The unwillingness to change Jane’s environment is figurative of the desire of John to continue imprisoning her from free expression. Moreover, the description of the wallpaper is also symbolic of a psychological prison. Jane confesses that “at night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars” (Gilman 10). Across the play, Jane’s thoughts are concentrated on the wallpaper, and only gets relief when she removes it from the wall. Jane is captivated by the wallpaper to a point that she is unable to ignore the strange pattern on it. She later connected to the perceived image of a trapped woman in the background of the wallpaper (Goodman 18). Jane only gets relief after she gets rid of the paper. From a feminist perspective, the actions of Jane aimed at regaining control over thoughts and actions are representational female emancipation from the yoke of male dominance.

The Yellow Wallpaper story portrays a patriarchal society where men control the actions and thoughts of their wives. In this relationship, women are expected to take orders from men whose decisions are final. The author has expressed underlying feminist perspectives to illustrate the mental and physical hardships encountered by women during the 1800 era. These perspectives are hidden in the dominating actions of John, hidden thoughts of his wife Jane, and the room where the plot is played. However, Jane is determined to escape this prison by directing her thoughts in a hidden journal. Gilman has reflected on the psychological and physical imprisonment of the women through the symbolic use of the wallpaper, poorly painted room, and mental illness.

Gilman, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper . Virago, 1981.

Golden, Catherine, editor. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wall-Paper: A Sourcebook and Critical Edition . Routledge, 2013.

Goodman, Lizbeth. Literature and Gender . Routledge, 2013.

Schroder, Marie. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s the Yellow Wall-Paper from a Feminist Perspective. A Woman’s Place in a Patriarchal World . GRIN Publishing, 2016.

Tischleder, Babette. The Literary Life of Things: Case Studies in American Fiction . Campus Vergal, 2014.

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  • Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Biography
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COMMENTS

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  2. Understanding The Yellow Wallpaper: Summary and Analysis

    The Yellow Wallpaper Summary. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is one of the defining works of feminist literature. Writing about a woman's health, mental or physical, was considered a radical act at the time that Perkins Gilman wrote this short story. Writing at all about the lives of women was considered at best, frivolous, and at worst dangerous.

  3. The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

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  4. A Summary and Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper'

    By Dr Oliver Tearle. 'The Yellow Wallpaper', an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, has the structure and style of a diary. This is in keeping with what the female narrator tells us: that she can only write down her experiences when her husband John is not around, since he has forbidden her to write until she is well again ...

  5. What would be a good introduction for an essay on "The Yellow Wallpaper

    An example of an introductory paragraph on the topic of marital neglect in Gilman's society would look something like this. In "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the main ...

  6. The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Topics & Samples

    The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Prompts. Study the issue of the gender roles in the story and compare it to modern norms. The Yellow Wallpaper highlights the problem of the suppression of women. Your essay on this topic may include some comments on family life as well.

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    Tip #2: Think about why the author chose not to reveal the narrator's name. The main character of "The Yellow Wallpaper" doesn't have a name. This isn't an accident. Nor is the fact that her husband's name is John and that we don't get to know his surname. The main character of "The Yellow Wallpaper" doesn't have a name.

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  9. Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper': Point of View Essay

    The wallpaper is "ripped," "soiled," "unclean yellow," "revolting," and "formless sort of figures.". These descriptions of the wallpaper are symbolic of the shapeless and suffocating life that the Narrator leads. It symbolizes a filled with life with harsh memories. "Soiled" symbolizes the burial act, thus representing ...

  10. The Yellow Wallpaper: Full Plot Analysis

    Full Plot Analysis. Given the distinct first-person narration and writing style of "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator's sense of internal conflict regarding her identity and inability to fulfill social expectations quickly emerges as the driving force of the story. The fact that the narrator herself is not even consciously aware of this ...

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    Students who want to find one of the best topics to write about 'The Yellow Wallpaper' can get inspiration from the 45 ideas presented in the next listing. Table of contents hide. 1 The Yellow Wallpaper essay questions. 2 Symbols and metaphors in 'The Yellow Wallpaper' essay topics. 3 Topics for 'The Yellow Wallpaper' about the ...

  12. "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    The 1892 long-form short story (or novella) became and remains a classic in feminist literature. "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper" deals directly with the postpartum depression she suffered from, and her hopes that the story would enlighten other women who had similar experiences. In Sarah Wyman's analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper, she ...

  13. How to Write The Yellow Wallpaper Essay: Example and Tips

    The Yellow Wallpaper is sometimes referred to as an example of Gothic literature on the treatment of madness and fatigue. Alan Ryan, for example, wrote about the story: "Absolutely, regardless of who created it, it is one of the most beautiful and most powerful horror stories ever written.

  14. 63 The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Topics & Examples

    In your essay on The Yellow Wallpaper, you might want to make a character or theme analysis.The key themes of the story are freedom of expression, gender roles and feminism, and mental illness. Another idea is to write an argumentative essay on the story's historical context.

  15. How To Write An Essay On The Yellow Wallpaper

    The Yellow Wallpaper In the novelette, The Yellow Wallpaper, the author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, writes a self-reflecting personal narrative that describes and criticizes the role of women in 1892. Women were treated like children and forced to focus on being a loving wife and keeping up appearances over all else, even physical or mental health.

  16. Critical Analysis Essay on "The Yellow Wallpaper"

    To write a compelling critical essay, it is crucial to analyze "The Yellow Wallpaper" in-depth, exploring its themes and literary techniques. Critical Analysis Essay on "The Yellow Wallpaper" "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a popular literary piece for critical analysis, especially in women's gender studies.

  17. The Yellow Wallpaper: Critical Response

    Critical Response. Charlotte Perkins Gilman may be most well-known for writing and publishing "The Yellow Wallpaper" in 1892, but the short story endured a turbulent critical history before becoming a classic addition to literature courses. The story, which Gilman initially wrote to share her experience of suffering under the demands of the ...

  18. Cite The yellow wallpaper

    Search. Learn how to create in-text citations and a full citation/reference/note for The yellow wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman using the examples below. The yellow wallpaper is cited in 14 different citation styles, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, ACS, and many others. If you are looking for additional help, try the EasyBib ...

  19. The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

    When John comes in, he finds his wife creeping around the room and faints. Extra Facts. 1) 'The Yellow Wallpaper' was inspired by the writer's own mental illness. She wrote it to convince her physician was wrong. 2) Gilman fought for women's rights and her story helped save other women from the madness.

  20. The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis Essay Writing Guide

    The last sentence of the intro should be a transition to the first body paragraph. Write the body paragraphs. We advise you to write at least 3 of them (this is called the five paragraph essay structure), even when you're writing a The Yellow Wallpaper symbolism paper. Discuss one main idea in each paragraph.

  21. Feminist Perspective on "The Yellow Wallpaper" Essay

    The short play, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is based on the lives of a chauvinistic husband and a sick wife. The over-dominating nature of the husband called John makes the environment unbearable for the mentally ill wife Jane. The wife is involuntarily imprisoned by the chauvinistic nature of her husband who would not ...