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? The Yellow Wallpaper? -Journey into Insanity In? The Yellow Wallpaper? , by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanity. Flawed human nature as well as the wife allowing herself to be ruled by her husband plays a great role in her breakdown.
Her husband, a noted physician, is unwilling to admit that there might really be something wrong with his wife. This same attitude is seen in her brother, who is also a physician. While this attitude and the actions taken because of it certainly contributed to her breakdown. Perhaps unconsciously she seems to let him rule her life until she cannot take it anymore. As the story begins, the woman tells of her depression and how it is dismissed by her husband and brother: You see, he does not believe that I am sick! And what can one do?
If a physician of high standing, and one? s own husband, assures friends and relatives that their is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression-a slight hysterical tendency-what is one to do? (Gilman 239) This shows how she is frustrated because of the fact that the person who is supposed to help her the most will not acknowledge that she even has a problem because? He know there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him? (Gilman 240). Her husband even tries to take her away to the country where he thinks that with bed rest she will get better. When that did not work it should of been obvious that she had a problem but once again he did not realize. She has no say so in the decor of her room that she is imprisoned in: The color is repellent, almost revolting: a smoldering unclean yellow, strangely faded the slow-turning sunlight.
It is a dull yet lurid orange in me places, a sickly sulfur tint in others. (Gilman 240) She is virtually imprisoned in her own bedroom, supposedly to allow her to rest and recover her health. She is forbidden to do any work, and she is not even allowed to write as she loves to do, ? There comes John, and I must put this away he hates to have me write a word? (Gilman 240). She has no say in the location or the decor of her own bedroom that she is imprisoned in.
This does not sound like she cares too much for the room she spends all of her time in, and her husband will not hear of moving their bedroom downstairs. Probably in large part because of her oppression, she continues to decline, ? I don? t feel as if it was worthwhile to turn my hand over for anything and I? m getting dreadfully fretful and querulous? (Gilman 242).
It seems that her husband is oblivious to her declining condition, since he never admits that she has a real problem at the end of the story. John could have easily sought out help for his dear wife, but the only help he seeks is for the house and the baby. He obtains a nanny to watch over the children while he was away at work each day and nobody to take care of his wife. He never talks to an expert but he does threaten her: ? John says if I don?
t pick up soon he will send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall? (Gilman 242). She can not have visitors: ? It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work? (Gilman 245). Although the wife seems to listen to everything her husband says, I believe that she is in the wrong for not doing something for herself. Gilman, throughout the story, does well to show with descriptive phrases just how easily and effectively, the man uses his maleness to control the woman. But, with a little interpreting of the story it can easily be seen that Gilman shows nothing of the kind, but shows the weakness of the woman.
A perfect example of the woman not standing up for herself and making her thoughts known comes in the beginning passages of the story: ? Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do? ? (Gilman 239). This last sentence when she says, ?
But what is one to do? displays her lack of self confidence and respect. She should care about herself more than to just back down to her husband. If the woman would take a second to assess the fact that she is quite possibly right about her condition then the conflict would not at all be viewed as sexism but rather an inner conflict. Then in the final passages of the story she finally displays some evidence of self governance through the woman finally standing up for herself by locking the door. The ability to lock the door restores her power over her environment, and maybe her restores her self-esteem as well.
If this type of self confidence had been displayed all through out the story then her insanity would not of been taken to the level that it did. Although John liked to tell her what to do, she should have never let his thoughts run her life. It is most certainly her own fought for not having enough guts to stress to John her feelings. It is obvious to see that flawed human nature plays a great role in the breakdown of the wife. However, the woman allowing herself to be dominated by her husband plays a major role also. If she would not of allowed herself to be dominated then that would of covered the flawed human nature aspect.
I believe that at the end of the story she starts to realize that she is not being dominated as much as she is allowing herself to lose control over her own life. John was wrong in his ways of going about solving his wife? s mental problems, but she was also in the wrong and all this lead to her mental breakdown.
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