The Yellow Wallpaper

English 1302

15 February 2008

How symbolism in “The Yellow wallpaper”

relates to the mind of the main character

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is set in a remote countryside with a garden, lovely pathways, and a greenhouse. There is a colonial mansion that has been left vacant for many years and has the appearance of being haunted. Its new occupants are an ordinary couple who plan to stay for 3 months. The husband is a physician and his wife has a nervous condition. Her condition is what brought them to this getaway. Together they survey the rooms and settle on the upstairs nursery as the place they will sleep. The woman notices the wallpaper and hates it. Through her strong use of symbolism, Perkins Gilman enables us to visualize the struggles that unfold in the mind of the protagonist. In this story the woman sees herself and her state of mind portrayed in the wallpaper, symbolized by the description, patterns, changes and the eventual removal of the wallpaper.

The description of the wallpaper is symbolic of how the woman is feeling. She is feeling lonely, confused and is irritated about how she is being treated by her husband. She is forbidden to work, which makes life seem dull and uninteresting. The woman states, “I’m afraid…something strange about the house” (22). The wallpaper is described as dull and an irritant. It has “lame uncertain curves…that suddenly commit suicide” (33). This symbolism shows the start of a connection between the woman and the wallpaper.

The wallpaper is developing into something that is captivating her mind. Her husband knows that she has a vivid imagination and cautions her to keep it in check (56). However, patterns in the wallpaper spark her imagination evident by this comment made by the woman, “This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had” (64)! The woman sees unblinking eyes everywhere in the patterns (66). The “unblinking eyes” would suggest they are staring at her, which is drawing her in. This is a vivid example of how symbolism is used by the author. As a child she would use her imagination to bring furniture to life. “ I could always hop into that chair and feel safe” (66). The woman begins to follow the pattern while lying in the bed. She watches it for hours. The woman states, “ I exhaust myself trying to distinguish the order of its going in that direction” (98). The woman is growing tired, and the pattern causes fatigue and confusion.

The woman is seemingly getting worse. She cries more, and it takes great effort for her to think straight (109). However, changes in the wallpaper get clearer each day to her (118). Now she sees “a woman stooping down and creeping about behind the pattern” (121). The woman behind the pattern is symbolic of the woman feeling trapped in her own mind unable to break free. The woman begins to touch the wallpaper symbolizing a connection between the two. The woman discovers that during the day not

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