The Yellow Wallpaper: Analyzing the Narrator (Essay Example)

The rise of gothic literature since the eighteenth century allows authors to write in various contexts, which often rely on specific settings such as a dark and isolated room, depiction of evil characters, and elements of the supernatural (Smith 3). Gothic texts have been seen to focus on the female gothic protagonist who is imprisoned and abused by a dominating man who further attempts to manipulate her. This leads to various gothic literary pieces to reflect a woman’s psychological state. Similarly, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper demonstrates a decline in the psychological state of the narrator as a means to control and patronize her while focusing on the gothic environment as it describes events where the narrator, a woman of the nineteenth century, is repressed and driven to madness by the husband, a male dominated figure. 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel demonstrates an infamous cure along with the narrator's deteriorated health condition and isolation from her loved one, representing a gothic element. Mitchell, a physician, developed a cure for women in the nineteenth century which was titled “Rest Cure”. According to him, the resting cure only consisted of isolation and restriction from writing or painting (Kimmel and Aronson 554). In The Yellow Wallpaper, John, the narrator’s husband who is a physician, is seen to provide treatment to his wife, however, he is observed to manipulate her and make her feel guilty about her condition. The narrator acts according to John’s order and is “absolutely forbidden to “work” until [she is] well again” (Gilman 360). She is further told that “the worst thing [she] can do is to think about [her] condition” (Gilman 360), which she agrees with as she begins to believe that she is worsening her condition. The author demonstrates the narrator’s thoughts while showing the husband's power over her wife as she begins to hear his voice in her head. The forceful command of not thinking of her condition and accepting the “rest cure” further leads to a decline in her state of mind as she refuses to listen to her thoughts and is forbidden to work. Furthermore, the narrator’s husband believes that his wife is not sick but only has a “temporary nervous depression” (Gilman 360), which leaves her in confusion regarding her health. As the narrator is only recommended to rest and not do any writing or work, “[she disagrees] with their ideas. Personally, [she believes] that congenial work, with excitement and change would do [her] good” (Gilman 360). Although her thoughts are different from that of John’s, it is seen that she also believes that John “takes all care from [her]” and further thinks that her condition “is only nervousness” (Gilman 361). As such, it is seen that the activities that make the narrator happy are forbidden from the “rest cure” plan of her husband. The narrator further reveals that her husband has an interest in providing the best treatment for his wife, however, he believes that the only way​​ to get back her health would be by avoiding those activities. Thus, she believes her husband’s words and further becomes obsessed with her condition due to the confusion that has risen, contributing to worsening her mental health. 

The decline in the narrator’s psychological state is equally observed through the lack of freedom as she is constantly isolated and confined to a room by her husband. She describes the room as being “a big, airy room…It was nursery first and then playroom and gymnasium…the windows are barred for little children…” (Gilman 361). The description provided by the narrator can be interpreted as an isolated room which reminds her of an asylum or a prison rather than a playroom or nursery. The bedroom with barred windows, demonstrating a prison, further showcases the gothic environment as suggested by Smith (3). The windows can further emphasize the lack of freedom the narrator has as she is constantly oppressed by her husband to the point where she is not allowed to go “downstairs that…had roses all over the windows” (Gilman 360) as she would be interacting with the outside world. Moreover, the novel describes a setting in which the narrator describes being on an “immovable bed—[that] is nailed down” (Gilman 364). It is seen that the room John isolated her served the purpose to restrict her from escaping and interacting with society. The immovable bed further showcases that the narrator is trapped in a prison-like environment representing her lack of freedom and the husband's dominance over her. Later, the narrator is seen to descend into madness as “[she tries] to lift and push [the bed] until [she] was lame, and then [she] got so angry [she] bit off a little piece at one corner–but it hurt [her] teeth” (Gilman 370). Here, it is seen that as the bed is nailed down, the narrator is unable to do anything herself or change her surroundings. As the bed does not move, she is driven to madness in a confined room. Hence, her deteriorated state of mind is seen as she loses control over herself due to being isolated in a single room for a long time. 

The narrator’s worsened condition is showcased as she describes her passion for the mysterious yellow wallpaper. Being isolated in a room with yellow wallpaper results in the narrator’s state of mind declining rapidly as she is driven to madness. She states that “the color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight…a sickly sulphur tint…” (Gilman 361). The narrator is seen to view the wallpaper as a negative factor affecting her health and mental state. It seems that the narrator is unclear about the horrendous wallpaper, indicating her deteriorating health. As the story progresses, her perception of the wallpaper slowly begins to be distorted. She further states that “[she] will follow [a] pointless pattern to some sort of conclusion” (Gilman 364). Thus, to come to this conclusion, she decides to stay awake and observes that “behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day. And it is like a woman stopping down and creeping about behind that pattern” (Gilman 365). Once again, due to a decline in the narrator’s state of mind, she begins to visualize several unreal patterns in the wallpaper, driving herself to madness. Therefore, the yellow wallpaper and its pattern play a major role in the narrator’s condition. 

The author of The Yellow Wallpaper underlines several events acting in the narrator’s worsened state of mind. This is shown through John’s perception of his wife’s illness, her isolation in a room for a long time, and her passion to reveal the dark secret of the yellow wallpaper. Gilman has described several factors which result in insanity and drives one to madness. Additionally, as Smith suggested, the gothic environment and text are reflected through the male dominance over a woman and her psychological state which Gilman effectively demonstrated.