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Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
103 reviews
phlegyas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5/5
This is one of those reads that entirely get ahold of your attention, your psyche even, and force you into a deep esoteric burrow, fumbling on your way to some sort of escape or release. It is not an easy read. Not in the sense of language or the way it was written. The language and the control of the language are both fine. It is, however, a very hard read because of the topics and the allegories. Without wanting to give away much, the fact alone that it was written by a woman before 1900 and it deals with matters that may still be societal and medical taboo (at least in some places), is nothing short of exceptional; ground breaking, thought provoking, horizon expanding.
5/5
This is one of those reads that entirely get ahold of your attention, your psyche even, and force you into a deep esoteric burrow, fumbling on your way to some sort of escape or release. It is not an easy read. Not in the sense of language or the way it was written. The language and the control of the language are both fine. It is, however, a very hard read because of the topics and the allegories. Without wanting to give away much, the fact alone that it was written by a woman before 1900 and it deals with matters that may still be societal and medical taboo (at least in some places), is nothing short of exceptional; ground breaking, thought provoking, horizon expanding.
5/5
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship
jesse_jellyfish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
That ending was phenomenal.
The spoiler below is just one of my personal interpretations of the ending.
I think after she began ripping off wallpaper she found an old hook or beam of sorts and hung herself using the rope she mentioned having. I think after she died she became the woman in the wallpaper (or she became another woman in the wallpaper) which is why it talks about creeping around at the end. So I believe the reason her husband fainted is because he saw her dead body after she committed suicide.
The spoiler below is just one of my personal interpretations of the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Confinement
Minor: Emotional abuse
binreads's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Definitely a great book to analyze and research afterwards. The more I think about it, the more I want to re read it now that I know the exact context. Extremely disturbing and sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
amusinglyuseless's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Properly eerie without being too overly scary for people who are interested in dipping their toes in horror without going all the way in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Sexism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Gaslighting
maddie_can_read's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A beautifully writen tragic story about mental health and sexism. Learning that it was written about the author's own experience made it more powerful.
I think I was expecting something more intense/ dramatic to happen at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Medical trauma
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide
c457963's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I first read this book in 2021. Since then I have read it numerous times. I find myself picking this book up over and over again.
Its funny how such a short book can be so so powerful. The yellow wallpaper tells the story of a young womans decent into phycosis and the 'treatment' she recieved based on her husbands wishes.
It is a truly amazing story and one that I will continue to love for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Mental illness
jenna_dash's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is incredible for the impact it plays on women’s health and function as full individuals. As a woman reading it I was unsettled and frustrated throughout the entire piece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Medical trauma
Moderate: Gaslighting and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
andrea1975's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
opplecopter's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Confinement
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
epeolatrist's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a mentally ill woman haunted by the boredom that accompanies domestic life and a so-called “resting cure.” Before proper treatments for mental illness were introduced, many believed that the key to curing depression and anxiety was to simply rest and avoid stimulating activity. In actuality, this “resting cure” only causes an individual to become trapped within their own thoughts and can often make things much worse. Keeping this in mind, I don’t believe that the narrator was insane when she moved into her new home, as she seems intelligent, sarcastic, and somewhat devious. However, I do believe that she was very sick and needed more mental stimulation and company.
Once this social isolation took hold of the narrator, the insanity slowly began. The narrator’s fixation on the wallpaper symbolizes a forthright aspect of her own life. In fact, the woman trapped behind the wallpaper draws some direct parallels from the narrator’s own life. The bars that hold the woman in the wallpaper are uncannily similar to the bars on the windows of the narrator’s bedroom. The heads of the women that have tried to escape the bars may symbolize the strangulation that the narrator feels by being trapped within her own mind. These parallels directly tie into the narrator’s eventual descent into insanity when she sees her own self crawling on the wallpaper trapped behind the bars. It is revealed by John’s sister that the laundry even has yellow stains which alludes to the narrator attempting to crawl on the wall, smudging the paper.
These actions make it clear that the narrator has lost her mind. Gilman, who also suffered from depression, brilliantly uses the yellow wallpaper as a representation of the structure of domestic life that women can get trapped in by overpowering family members or friends. The hopelessness that the narrator feels manifests in her delusion of the woman on the wallpaper, who she eventually sees as a version of herself. Her desire for companionship created an exhibition of her confined lifestyle that essentially drove her into a madness so prominent that even her husband’s horror could not pull her out.
Once this social isolation took hold of the narrator, the insanity slowly began. The narrator’s fixation on the wallpaper symbolizes a forthright aspect of her own life. In fact, the woman trapped behind the wallpaper draws some direct parallels from the narrator’s own life. The bars that hold the woman in the wallpaper are uncannily similar to the bars on the windows of the narrator’s bedroom. The heads of the women that have tried to escape the bars may symbolize the strangulation that the narrator feels by being trapped within her own mind. These parallels directly tie into the narrator’s eventual descent into insanity when she sees her own self crawling on the wallpaper trapped behind the bars. It is revealed by John’s sister that the laundry even has yellow stains which alludes to the narrator attempting to crawl on the wall, smudging the paper.
These actions make it clear that the narrator has lost her mind. Gilman, who also suffered from depression, brilliantly uses the yellow wallpaper as a representation of the structure of domestic life that women can get trapped in by overpowering family members or friends. The hopelessness that the narrator feels manifests in her delusion of the woman on the wallpaper, who she eventually sees as a version of herself. Her desire for companionship created an exhibition of her confined lifestyle that essentially drove her into a madness so prominent that even her husband’s horror could not pull her out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis