The Yellow Paper

The Yellow Wallpaper Thought Paper

In order to overcome an obstacle such as imprisonment one must realize the importance of self-expression and self-worth. Mental and physical restraints in addition to the absence of free -will, most often can lead to hidden anxiety and fear forcing a person to become passive and succumb to a more dominant power. Gender dynamic is often times a factor as can be isolation and loneliness.

In the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper (1892)" Charlotte Perkins Gilman described in the first person narrative how gender dynamic reduced women to subservient beings and second rate citizens especially within a marriage. This is evident when the narrator states "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage." This is an ironic statement because that is the last thing that would be expected in a healthy marriage. John was a man who relied on reason where as his wife had more of an imagination and a desire to express herself through her writing.

The fact that her husband isolated her in the second story room with the dingy yellow wallpaper at the summer house, compounded with the fact that he forbade her to write (which was her passion) or communicate with the outside world, contributed to her self-destructiveness and helplessness. The narrator felt imprisoned and slowly started to go insane. The room had hideous bars that concealed each and every window and made the room sinister and unwelcoming. Feeling trapped the woman became obsessed with the pattern of the wallpaper and realized the obsession was making her crazy.

By the end of the story, the narrator came to the realization that the women in the wallpaper was in the same predicament that she was. She began to identify with the woman that that was confined and was so desperate to break free. She tore and ripped the paper frantically in an attempt to set the woman free. The young wife then started to see things more clearly and became aware of the fact that she and the mysterious woman behind the wall paper were really one and the same.

When reading the story, it was initially