Monday, March 31, 2014

The Yellow Wallpaper


The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman reminds me of Edgar Allan poe's The Tell-tale Heart short story. Both narrators of the two stories suffer from a debilitating psychosis but also show cleverness in the way they tell their story. Charlotte in The Yellow Wallpaper  has postpartum psychosis which at that time it wasn't well know and physicians would prescribe what they thought was best for the patient. Unfortunately for Charlotte she was struck with this mental condition at a time when women were under oppression and their ideas weren't heard. Throughout the story you learn just how belittled the woman was by her husband, but by the end of the story the woman proved to be stronger when her husband John fainted. This Story is a classic, not only would I recommend this story as a must read but also as one that should be re-read after a few years. It could be my bias opinion as a women with feminist tendencies, although, regardless of what I think Charlotte's message is strong and heartfelt.

1 comment:

  1. I find your analysis really relatable to what I was thinking as I read this short story. It describes how oppressive society was to women during this time period, and heck, even today women are oppressed in many of ways. Charlotte Gilman was able to put a voice out there for women when our voices were being shunned dramatically. She for sure sparked feminists to take more charge through her writings too. In the end, the wife leans over her husband as a way of declaring her independence and regaining her so to call "voice". That was such a strong part of the story. I do agree also that it was a lot like Poe's Tell-Tale heart, a creepy and psychological read.

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