Oppression and Need for Escape in The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper

History has shown that women were considered second-class citizens for much of the nineteenth century, oppressed by the opposite sex for being “weak”. This oppression is not uncommon to literature; in fact, it has become usual to read about many of the societal obstacles that women had to surpass in order to advance to freedom. In the story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the protagonist—also the narrator—to portray the repression of women during this time period. The anonymous narrator begins the story by telling of her husband and their summer home. Initially all seems well, however the reader comes to find that the entire story is a compilation of writings that were written in secret; the reader finds that the narrator’s husband is also her physician, who is attempting to cure her alleged illness—a nervous disorder—by restricting her to all-day rest. Although the narrator struggles to fight her nervous disorder, ultimately, she finds herself trying to break free from her husband’s control; Gilman uses the symbol of the oppressive yellow wallpaper to illustrate the narrator’s emotional subjugation and ultimate need for escape from her husband.

The narrators lack of freedom and subjugated identity, are symbolized through the yellow wallpaper. When the wallpaper is introduced toward the beginning of the story, its color is described as “repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight” (p 317). Here, the narrator is very descriptive for the dislike of this wallpaper. This is especially pointed out through the analogy of cacophony, as it gives off a harsh and bothered tone. The use of the words such as, “repellant” and “revolting,” used to describe the wallpaper, give off a feeling for the wallpaper that is almost sickening; this in a sense can be representative of the narrator’s illness. Since this wallpaper surrounds her at all times to remind her of her illness, it infuriates her, and forces her to “hate it” (p 317). Much of the narrator’s suffering results from her husband’s despotism. As his wife’s physician, John, puts his wife under the rest cure; a cure that prohibits the patient from doing any form of work. The inability of the narrator to exercise her mind only seems to make her more ill. Unlike her husband, the narrator believes that “congenial work, with excitement and change, would do [her] good” (p 316). Though the narrator differs in thought with the suggested treatment from her husband and brother, who is also a doctor, she isn’t willing to question them. “Personally, I disagree with their ideas…but what is one to do?” (p 316) From this line, one can see that the narrator doesn’t find it fit to speak up to either her brother or her husband. When the narrator tells herself “what is one to do?” she is indicating that she has no control over her own health or life. She gives off the image of a powerless individual who has no dominion, no identity. This stresses the belief of the inferior role of women as second class citizens in society and also as submissive wives in marriages.

However, even though the narrator is forbidden to write, she finds writing to be her only outlet for her thoughts and emotions, “I think sometimes that…it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me” (p 318). From this, the reader can see how the narrator finds the necessity to express herself, since she is essentially forbidden to do anything. This need of hers is so great that she goes through the trouble of constantly hiding her writings from her husband, “There comes John, and I must put this away—he hates to have me write a word” (p 317). The fact that the narrator cannot express herself even through writing highlights the image of this controlling and overpowering husband. The inability to exercise one’s mind seems to be the worst form of oppression. John only creates this engulfing train of trapped thoughts within his wife’s mind, forcing her to find some form of escape.

Being a victim to her husband’s dominance, it is only expected of her to feel a need for escape, “she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody could climb through that pattern—it strangles so; I think that is why it has so many heads” (p 325). Once again, the wallpaper is paralleled with the narrators need for escape, but unlike the woman behind the wallpaper, the narrator wishes to “climb through” the control of her husband. Yet, she knows that to overcome her husband is almost impossible, much like the deadly escape from the pattern. The “many heads” can be seen as the countless number of women who have fallen victims to their husband’s control, and wasted their lives trying to escape from this social “pattern.” The image of the woman shaking the bars shows the narrators desperate need for freedom. The narrator expresses in her secret journal, “I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings!” (p 316) Here, the narrator is describing her desire for another room, one that is perhaps more alive with roses and one that feels more free. The narrator’s need for an open room suggests her feeling of entrapment. John's insistence to put his wife in this room where “the windows are barred…and there are rings and things in the walls,” seems to show he perhaps wanted his wife to feel captive to his rule (p 317). The “barred windows,” portray confinement, in this case for the narrator—her confinement to the four walls of the room. Also, the narrator’s obsession for the wallpaper only makes her feel trapped within her own home. This feeling is portrayed more clearly as she describes the woman she fancies behind the yellow wallpaper who, “in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard” (p 325). Much like the woman behind the wallpaper, the narrator is living trapped in a room surrounded by barred windows.

Not only is the narrator being controlled by her husband, the fact that the narrator remains unnamed, only emphasizes the narrator’s need for a voice. When she tries to tell her husband how she feels about the home, he disregards her comment and comes up with his own explanation, simply just ignoring her expressed opinion. “There is something strange about the house…I even said so to John…but he said what I felt was a draught, and shut the window” (p 316). Surprisingly, here, the narrator finds it within herself to actually state her opinions to her husband, only to be quickly shut down by him. It is almost as if she was hoping for some sort of understanding from her husband, only to realize that she was still not being heard. In regards to the husband, it is obvious to the reader that John doesn’t take his wife’s opinions into consideration; he doesn’t value her thoughts. Later in the story, when the narrator brings up the idea of moving downstairs into another room, John manages to keep her quiet by hugging her and calling her “a blessed little goose” (p 318). In this one case, one can see how the husband treats his wife like she was a “little” child; he dismisses her requests and instead babies her by calling her names. This again highlights the fact that John does not take his wife sincerely, something that dwelled heavily on the narrator as she finds herself trying to find a voice for herself. In the process of finding her own voice, the narrator finds the wallpaper speaking to her. She begins to recognize herself as the woman behind the yellow wallpaper. “It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight…I always lock the door when I creep by daylight, I can’t do it at night…” (p 325) Here, the narrator blatantly identifies herself as this trapped woman. She first begins by describing the woman as “she,” but then progresses to use the word “I,” almost as if she finally realized that she had been seeing herself all along. The wallpaper speaks for her.

Evidently, Gilman portrayed the narrator’s difficult and unhappy situation through the use of symbolism. The wallpaper was used to represent the narrator’s oppressed feelings and emotions, as well as her need for escape. The dominance and neglect from her husband only forced the narrator to fancy herself as this woman trapped behind the wallpaper. Although she managed to escape, unlike other women, the cost was too high—her sanity.