Review by rosa_lina96 - The Yellow Wall-Paper

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rosa_lina96 's review for:

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

4.0

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Remember reading this short story in school and not fully understanding it at the time, but going back and reading it as an adult--especially in today's political climate--kind of breathes new meaning into it. Lady with a controlling husband is forced to move to the countryside with him, and though you sense her chafing over his treatment of her even at the beginning of the narrative, it's not until the end where she truly surrenders to whatever mental illness has been following her (I want to guess that it's meant to be a kind of schizophrenia, but I don't think the narrative ever fully designates it as such, and honestly the ambiguity works better for the overall plot) and breaks free of the cruel way the men in her life have been treating her.

Kind of a feminine rage novel before that kind of thing was mainstream, to be honest. A good read that examines forced institutionalization (of a kind), the way women's health concerns have never really been taken seriously throughout history (main character is quite obviously suffering from postpartum depression and yet continues to have it swept under the rug), and how attempting to have full control over someone who has a mental illness can actually do more harm than good. Very much recommended.

Content Warnings