"The Yellow Wallpaper"

 Word Count: 254

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

"John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him" (Gilman, 3).

"It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous" (Gilman, 3).

"And she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody could climb through that pattern - it strangles so" (Gilman, 8).

    "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a woman with severe Postpartum Depression. This first quote demonstrates that no one, even her husband, understands what she is going through. They, at this time, do not think giving birth to a child is a reason to suffer, and it is possible that if they know she was suffering from the baby, they would think her more "insane." The second quote illustrates that her illness, which her husband has moved her away for, is due to her baby. The baby makes her so nervous that she cannot care for it or herself. 

    The third quote is a metaphor for how it feels to be a woman suffering from Postpartum Depression. At this point in time, mental illness was not understood, and people who suffered from it were considered "insane" and taken away to lifetime care in an institution. Because no one understands how to treat her mental illness, they do not understand what she is going through. From this quote, we know she feels trapped, and she wants to escape. 

    Postpartum Depression affects many women after they give birth. It can last for months to a year. Because symptoms start showing a couple of months after one gives birth, many do not recognize it as being related to the birth. This story is universal because so many women suffer as the narrator does. While their situations might not have such a drastic effect, the theme of isolation and entrapment rise above.  


Comments

  1. Julianna HigginsApril 4, 2021 at 10:17 AM


    I really liked the quotes you pulled from this story to analyze. I think the first quote is important to emphasize because it shows how alone she really felt in this. Her husband knew something was wrong, however, she knew he wasn't able to fully understand how bad it really was to her and what she was truly experiencing.

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  2. Kristen SassoApril 8, 2021 at 7:21 AM

    I thought the quotes you chose for your blog post emphasized how she felt throughout the story. She needed to be cared for and her husband kept denying her seeing a doctor for help. Postpartum Depression is a real thing women suffer from, and she was truly suffering from that yet she felt so alone during that time.

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  3. Mia CiccarelliApril 26, 2021 at 12:43 PM

    I enjoy the quotes that you selected! They strongly portray how Gilman felt throughout the story. Postpartum depression is a real illness that women suffer from every day. The woman in the story's husband was not giving her the help that he needed. He knew something was wrong but was unable to comprehend it. In the past this illness was ignored unlike today there are many resources to help women.

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