Has anyone read the yellow wallpaper?

Question

what is it about

Answer 1

It is basically about the development of a lady's mental disorder once confined to her room after suffering what is known nowadays as 'postmartum depression'(there is evidence in the text that she recently gave birth to a baby). The story is about her decent into insanity driven by her incarceration at the hands of her well meaning husband, and how she becomes increasingly paranoid about the wallpaper, which has become a focal point for her depression. It is a very good story; i really like the personification of the wallpaper, and there was some lovely imagery used to explain the paranoia. The fact that many different types of imagery are used (olfactory imagery and visual imagery) makes it more realistic because we don't just understand our surroundings by how they look, other senses such as smell and sound are important.

Even the graphology of the Story was like a strip of wallpaper, thus emphasising that the wallpaper was the main thing on her mind.

I like the fact that it is written from the viewpoint of the disturbed woman because it means that the views of others around her have to be implied rather than directly stated.

Though the book is mainly about the development of her disorder, there are lots of enterwining themes that are interesting. Firstly is the difference in class; had she been poor she would most likely be locked away, though as she was a wealthy lady she was granted the freedom to float around her room getting upset about wallpaper. The contrast is interesting, not only this but it shows increasing understanding of mental disorders which has caused our treatment of the mentally ill to be what it is today.

Also, there is the entertwining theme of prisoners; think how the speaker is held captive by her own mind, and by those trying to take care of her. What would feminists say about a husband keeping a wife captive in a room when she asked for freedom, even if he believed it to be for her 'own good'?

I'll leave you with some links about the story giving you information about its context, how it was recieved and greater detail on its meaning than i have provided.

Answer 2

This is what it is about:

"The Yellow Wallpaper" opens with the musings of an unnamed woman. She, her husband John, their newborn baby, and her sister-in-law have rented a summer house. The narrator is suffering from postpartum depression, and the summer house will function as a place for her to get better. The doctor has prescribed a rest cure of quiet and solitude, with an emphasis on avoiding any form of mental stimulation like reading or writing.

The woman notes that the room in which she is staying seems to be geared more for incarceration than rehabilitation. John classifies her merely as "sick," thereby exhibiting the prevailing attitude of the day, that mental illness in women was not real. Following the doctor's strict orders, he forbids his wife from doing any type of work and does not allow her to see her baby. The narrator believes that work, excitement, and change would do her good, but her opinion does not matter.

Answer 3

Come on. You won't read a short story? It would take you maybe forty minutes. You could read it twice in the amount of time you will have waited for an answer to this question. I bet you could even find the text online. This is sad, too, too sad.