Yellow Wallpaper Close Reading - 911 Words

The Yellow Wallpaper Close Reading The narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman discovers that the woman trapped in the yellow wallpaper is really herself and reflects that there are countless other women trapped and oppressed by society just as she is. Through her descent into madness, the narrator is able to finally free herself, but not without losing her sanity in the process. When the narrator states: â€Å"I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled† (Gilman 517), this goes to demonstrate that the woman in the wall that she’s been trying to free is really herself. The woman trapped in the wallpaper is a significant metaphor to represent that the narrator is trapped in an oppressive society, and more specifically†¦show more content†¦While, the narrator refers to the room as a nursery, the circumstances suggest that the room was really used to â€Å"treat† women like the narrator from similar illnesses. The room has a bolted down bed that â€Å"is fairly gnawe d† (Gilman 517), which the narrator bites a piece off of in frustration, suggesting it was under similar circumstances that the bed came to be gnawed. Therefore, the narrator’s creeping inside the room is the only way for her to be part of society, as in the room she can â€Å"creep smoothly on the floor, and [her] shoulder fits... so [she] cannot lose [her] way† (Gilman 518). She has to suppress and hide her true self in front of others, even her husband, as many women had to during those times. The diction and tone demonstrate a wonderful descent into madness. The story is written in first person, allowing us to better understand the narrator’s state of mind. As the story progresses, there is an abundant use of exclamation marks, giving off an erratic, exited tone. Many sentences are short and choppy, portraying the uncertain and off-balance state of mind of the narrator. Although it is clear that the narrator has finally lost her mind, the ending of The Yellow Wallpaper is still fairly ambiguous. It suggests that the narrator was finally able to free herself, although she did lose her sanity in the process. This is evident as she casually remarks that â€Å"jumping out the window would beShow MoreRelatedA Close Reading Of `` The Yellow Wallpaper `` By Charlotte Gilmans903 Words   |  4 PagesA Close Reading of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, by Charlotte Gilmans is a short story narrated by a woman who is suffering from depression soon after giving birth. The narrator’s husband is a physician who asserts that he knows what is best for his wife’s health and betterment. 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The narrator is emotionally isolated from her husband. Due to the lack of interaction with other people the woman befriends the reader by secretively communicating her story in a diary format. Her attitude towards the wallpaper is openly hostile at the beginning, but ends with an intimate and liberating connection. During the gradual change in the relationshipRead More A Womans Struggle Captured in The Yellow Wallpaper1088 Words   |  5 PagesA Womans Struggle Captured in The Yellow Wallpaper       Pregnancy and childbirth are very emotional times in a womans life and many women suffer from the baby blues.   The innocent nickname for postpartum depression is deceptive because it down plays the severity of this condition. Although she was not formally diagnosed with postpartum depression, Charlotte Perkins Gilman   (1860-1935) developed a severe depression after the birth of her only child (Kennedy et. al.   424).   Unfortunately