The Psychological Isolation in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Abstract

This paper examines how Charlotte Perkins Gilman(1860-1935) depicts the effects of isolation, physical and psychological, on the heroine in her story "The Yellow Wallpaper"(1892). By using the first person narration which is a subjective style of writing, the writer reveals the thoughts and feelings of the narrator as she tries to fight against psychological pressures which she could not cope with. Furthermore, the paper examines the reasons which lead to the woman's breakdown, mainly her isolation from people, her need for communication and the way of treatment she receives from her husband. Her domineering husband looks upon her as a weak and an inferior person. He deprives her of practicing any activity. As the narrator is forced to withdraw from society, she looks for something to occupy her mind with. Gradually, she becomes interested in the yellow wallpaper. She stares at the pattern and finally decides that it represents a woman trapped behind the bars. She begins to peel the paper off the walls to liberate the woman. The writer describes the different stages of the woman's deterioration, exposing the different factors which contribute and lead to her madness. Meanwhile, she gives a message warning women of the results when they do not fight back to assert their individuality. Therefore, the story's value lies in the fact that the writer presents this Timeless subject.