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A review by _diescutely
The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
After I finished reading this book, I had to stop and think for a minute to gather my thoughts and figure out what exactly I just read.
I’ve read a lot of the “protagonist descends into madness” trope, in fact from the ages of 14-17 it was all I wanted to read. Never in my life have I ever read such a smooth transition from someone being seemingly stable at the start, to a person who is completely unrecognizable by the end of it.
I could probably write an entire essay just on how this 33 paged book accurately described the experience of women dealing with sexism within the medical field, and how insanity isn’t created in a vacuum but only through an environment that oppresses and neglects it.
However, what I would really like to point out is the constant gaslighting. Throughout the entire story. the narrator’s husband John completely dismisses her and her issues. He invalidates her feelings, controls everything she does, and then faints at the end when she finally does go insane. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t necessarily think John is the evil villain who is trying to hurt his wife, he is also just a person trying to keep his family together with concern for his wife struggling with postpartum. But, his character is the one to blame for the narrator’s descent.
The biggest theme in the book, at least in my opinion, is the medical gaslighting, particularly relating around women. I feel it always goes forgotten, especially with the discourse around the validity of self diagnosis, that your opinions on what’s happening to your own body are still important, even if it’s not from a healthcare provider. We put so much trust in doctors (as we should) only for a select amount of doctors to betray that trust for their own selfish needs and egos. We tend to forget that we know our bodies better than anyone else can and the medical field (including but not limiting to mental health) was historically speaking up until the last decade so extremely sexist and ableist (ADD & Borderline comes to mind).
Thousands of women had their physical and mental symptoms belittled to hormones and sexual activity due to the malpractice of professionals that unjustly earned our trust simply due to their credentials and an authority bias. And that’s what I believe the woman trapped under the yellow wallpaper represents. It’s a metaphor for all the women villainized, ignored, gaslighted and sent to mental asylums when in reality just wanted to be treated with respect.
The moral of the story? If you’re in a position of privilege, listen to those who aren’t, instead of belittling them because they don’t have the same privilege you do.
Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk.
I’ve read a lot of the “protagonist descends into madness” trope, in fact from the ages of 14-17 it was all I wanted to read. Never in my life have I ever read such a smooth transition from someone being seemingly stable at the start, to a person who is completely unrecognizable by the end of it.
I could probably write an entire essay just on how this 33 paged book accurately described the experience of women dealing with sexism within the medical field, and how insanity isn’t created in a vacuum but only through an environment that oppresses and neglects it.
However, what I would really like to point out is the constant gaslighting. Throughout the entire story. the narrator’s husband John completely dismisses her and her issues. He invalidates her feelings, controls everything she does, and then faints at the end when she finally does go insane. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t necessarily think John is the evil villain who is trying to hurt his wife, he is also just a person trying to keep his family together with concern for his wife struggling with postpartum. But, his character is the one to blame for the narrator’s descent.
The biggest theme in the book, at least in my opinion, is the medical gaslighting, particularly relating around women. I feel it always goes forgotten, especially with the discourse around the validity of self diagnosis, that your opinions on what’s happening to your own body are still important, even if it’s not from a healthcare provider. We put so much trust in doctors (as we should) only for a select amount of doctors to betray that trust for their own selfish needs and egos. We tend to forget that we know our bodies better than anyone else can and the medical field (including but not limiting to mental health) was historically speaking up until the last decade so extremely sexist and ableist (ADD & Borderline comes to mind).
Thousands of women had their physical and mental symptoms belittled to hormones and sexual activity due to the malpractice of professionals that unjustly earned our trust simply due to their credentials and an authority bias. And that’s what I believe the woman trapped under the yellow wallpaper represents. It’s a metaphor for all the women villainized, ignored, gaslighted and sent to mental asylums when in reality just wanted to be treated with respect.
The moral of the story? If you’re in a position of privilege, listen to those who aren’t, instead of belittling them because they don’t have the same privilege you do.
Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy