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A review by nadiamasood
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is dark and it ends on a chilling note.
To better appreciate this short story, one would find it helpful to have a little background on the author herself and how women's mental health was treated in the 19th century.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was already prone to depression and suffered from severe postpartum depression after giving birth. At the time, the predominantly male medical profession was not equipped to deal with mental health. Women were considered “hysterical” beings by their very nature, their health problems were often dismissed as mere nerves.
Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell was summoned to help, who prescribed the “rest cure,” which essentially required that she give up ALL creative pursuits, such as reading and writing, keep a nurse with her at all times, avoid any activities that required mental exertions, prohibition from meeting with friends and family, and enforced sedentary lifestyle, where one must lie in bed for most of the day. Instead of curing her, these restrictions—prescribed by Miller and enforced by her husband—only made her depression worse, and she began to have suicidal thoughts.
Charlotte divorced six years later, in 1894. Her depression began to lift, and she embarked on a steady recovery. Gilman’s experience with depression and her first marriage influenced her writing heavily.
Gilman's writing in The Yellow Wallpaper is both haunting and evocative. The narrative is presented through the eyes of an unnamed woman who is prescribed a "rest cure" by her physician husband, John. We read the story as her journal entries, noting her deteriorating mental state as her obsession with the wallpaper intensifies, culminating in a disturbing and poignant climax.
The story is rich in symbolism. For example, the mansion seemed like a mental asylum: the bed is nailed to the floor and the windows are barred. She begins seeing women jumping out of the wallpaper, which suggests she could be delusional. I wonder if John was even her husband? Could he be a doctor trying out the rest cure on a patient?
It stood out to me that despite being gaslighted by her husband and dismissed as hysterical, she maintains a sense of self and ultimately asserts her agency powerfully and unforgettably!
I highly recommend this book to everyone!
To better appreciate this short story, one would find it helpful to have a little background on the author herself and how women's mental health was treated in the 19th century.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was already prone to depression and suffered from severe postpartum depression after giving birth. At the time, the predominantly male medical profession was not equipped to deal with mental health. Women were considered “hysterical” beings by their very nature, their health problems were often dismissed as mere nerves.
Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell was summoned to help, who prescribed the “rest cure,” which essentially required that she give up ALL creative pursuits, such as reading and writing, keep a nurse with her at all times, avoid any activities that required mental exertions, prohibition from meeting with friends and family, and enforced sedentary lifestyle, where one must lie in bed for most of the day. Instead of curing her, these restrictions—prescribed by Miller and enforced by her husband—only made her depression worse, and she began to have suicidal thoughts.
Charlotte divorced six years later, in 1894. Her depression began to lift, and she embarked on a steady recovery. Gilman’s experience with depression and her first marriage influenced her writing heavily.
Gilman's writing in The Yellow Wallpaper is both haunting and evocative. The narrative is presented through the eyes of an unnamed woman who is prescribed a "rest cure" by her physician husband, John. We read the story as her journal entries, noting her deteriorating mental state as her obsession with the wallpaper intensifies, culminating in a disturbing and poignant climax.
The story is rich in symbolism. For example, the mansion seemed like a mental asylum: the bed is nailed to the floor and the windows are barred. She begins seeing women jumping out of the wallpaper, which suggests she could be delusional. I wonder if John was even her husband? Could he be a doctor trying out the rest cure on a patient?
It stood out to me that despite being gaslighted by her husband and dismissed as hysterical, she maintains a sense of self and ultimately asserts her agency powerfully and unforgettably!
I highly recommend this book to everyone!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Gaslighting