The yellow wallpaper

The most obvious motif in the story is the wallpaper, it takes centre stage and could even be described as a character in itself. It's importance lies in its symbolism, it represents the society of the time, the narrators desire for creative expression and her obsession with the paper symbolises madness.

Representing society

The 1890s in America was a time of great change, it was the turn of the century and although the standard of living had increased because of the Industrial Revolution, the standard rights for women were still primitive compared to life now. Women were not even allowed to vote in every state in America until 1920 when they changed the 19th amendment to include women, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an influential writer who went some way in helping to make this happen.

Women of the time were simply mothers and wives, their position in society meant that they couldn't be independent financially or creatively. In an 1892 medical journal James Crichton-Browne wrote that, "There is a growing tendency around us to ignore intellectual distinctions between the sexes, to assimilate the education of girls to that of boys, to throw men and women into industrial competition in every walk of life, and to make them compeers in social intercourse. And as, to my thinking, this tendency is unphysiological, and likely if indulged to lead to some unfortunate results." Through out the article Crichton-Browne suggested that if girls in high school "exert too much pressure" on the brains they could have physical side effects. Essentially the predominant feeling in society was that women should stick to being mothers and wives and resist the temptation to over exert themselves physically and mentally. This is the exact same opinion of Weir Mitchell, who temporarily treated Charlotte. In writing 'The Yellow Wallpaper'Charlotte Perkins Gilman is making a stand at this injustice and proving that women could achieve more.

The "repellant yellow wallpaper" is symbolic of this repressive society. The creeping woman who eventually finds her way out of the paper, is symbolic of the narrator in the story finally breaking free from the constraints of society. The narrators madness is the only option for her to find freedom.

"The colour is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight. It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others." Page 9 & 10 of the manuscript.

Manuscript page 9

Manuscript page 9

Manuscript page 10

Manuscript page 10

Symbolising lack of creative expression

The narrator of 'The Yellow Wallpaper'is a writer, but when John, her husband, restricts her creative outlet by forcing her to stop writing in her journal, she must find some other way of expressing herself. The wallpaper becomes this outlet and eventual obsession, she finds herself tracing the pattern in the paper for hours, determined to come to some kind of "conclusion". One of the reasons the narrator descends into madness is because she has no outlet for her creativity and only finds an outlet through the one thing that John refuses to remove from the room.

The house

'The Yellow Wallpaper' is often referred to as not only a psychological story but a gothic one. In part this is because of the nature of the story, it being about a woman's descent into madness described in a thrilling way, but it is also due to the setting. The house is a typical motif of the gothic genre, symbolising terror and darkness and is used to aid the reader into these feelings of tension and discomfort. The second sentence in the story describes the house as, "A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house." By beginning the story in this way, Charlotte Perkins Gilman is foreshadowing the events to come, as the reader will discover that the house is in a way haunted by the woman in the paper, even if it is a figment of the narrators invention. This is only further emphasised when the narrator describes the nursery that she is to use as her bedroom:

"It is a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore. It was a nursery first and then playroom and gymnasium, I should judge; for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls." Page 8 of the manuscript.

Manuscript Page 8

Manuscript page 8

Notice how Charlotte Perkins Gilman includes bars on the windows and rings in the wall, reminding one more of an asylum or prison rather than a nursery. The bedroom being represented like a prison only further emphasises the gothic symbolism as well as a lack of freedom for the narrator, she is not even allowed to take the room that she wants downstairs. The reader is subtly persuaded to come to the conclusion that if the narrator had more freedom she wouldn't end up being mad.

Take a look at this trailer forThe Yellow Wallpapershort film. It is a modern take on the story but can aid your understanding of setting by seeing a visual adaptation, see how the film makers have portrayed the house and the room to be in keeping with the gothic genre.

The baby

The narrators baby is only mentioned in the story twice, and only as passing comments. The baby is also only ever referred to as 'the baby,' he or she is never given a name. This is intentionally done as it serves to highlight the issues the narrator has with the feminine role, as well as suggest that the mental illness that the narrator suffers from is postnatal depression.

"It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I can not be with him, it makes me so nervous." Page 12 of the manuscript.

Manuscript page 12

Manuscript page 12

In the above extract we see her describe her baby as "such a dear baby." This can obviously be seen as endearing, however the tone of the sentence suggests that the narrator is distanced to her baby and that it isn't a true feeling of endearment but rather a 'rehearsed' term used because she knows that she can't be with her baby and so feels guilty. This is also particularly apparent as it can be assumed that the narrator is also jealous of Mary for being able to look after the baby when she can not. The narrator is clearly struggling with her role as a woman of the time and can't seem to be able to be the mother that was expected of her.

Later in the novel when the narrators madness becomes more and more apparent, she seems to use her baby as an excuse to stay in the room with the wallpaper. Notice in the extract below how her short sentences and use of exclamation marks reflect her erratic state of mind, and the way in which she talks about her baby is no longer as calm and restrained as in the last extract. Furthermore she once again does not refer to her baby by name, but even more shocking she refers to it as a "little thing" further emphasising her detachment to the child.

"There's one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper. If we had not used it, the blessed child would have! What a fortunate escape! Why, I wouldn't have a child of mine, an impressionable little thing, live in such a room for worlds.
I never thought of it before, but it is lucky that John kept me here after all, I can stand it so much easier then a baby, you see." Page 29 of the manuscript.

Manuscript page 28

Manuscript page 29

The journal

The first person perspective of the novella mimics that of a journal, the reader is able to get a personal view of the narrator as it is as though the reader is intruding on her personal thoughts and feelings. For instance towards the end of the story she writes, "And I'll tell you why—privately—I've seen her!" The use of "privately" suggests that the narrator believes that she is having a private conversation with someone, imagining that the paper is an actual person. This is evidently due to her madness, and is an indication of her loneliness. The journal acts as somebody that the narrator can confide in as she does not have anybody else to talk to, or anybody else to listen to her. This one-way conversation although emotive, is limited as the reader must rely entirely on one perspective rather than multiple. Her madness also makes her an unreliable narrator, as we can not wholly trust what she writes to be an accurate representation of her life. The journal does however act as insight into the progressively deteriorating mind of the narrator.

The journal is used by the narrator as a creative outlet, as was previously mentioned. She describes the journal as "dead paper and a great relief to my mind". This is why when John forbids her to write and she must waste energy hiding her writing, it only adds further to her illness and why she then has to transfer her creative outlet from the journal, to deciphering the yellow wallpaper. The journal therefore also represents the narrators defiance against her husband and subsequently the patriarchal society he symbolises, as despite his desire to ban her from writing she persists.