Charlotte Perkins Gilman engages the reader with her works of writing that challenge the perception of women in their gender roles as mothers, wives, and homemakers. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story written in the first person narrative which tells of a woman who is depressed after having a baby and begins to obsess about a yellow wallpaper which she finds hideous. The narrator slowly starts to unravel and it becomes clear that she is unreliable. Several quotes support this theory such as:
1) “This paper looks to me as if it KNOWS what a vicious influence it had!” Here, she gives the wallpaper personification by indicating that it has a “vicious influence” on her. This shows that she believes an inanimate object has ill will toward her and obsesses over the indication of its appearance.
2) “I have watched John when he did not know I was looking, and come into the room suddenly on the most innocent excuses, and I’ve caught him several times LOOKING AT THE PAPER! And Jennie too. I caught Jennie with her hand on it once.” Now, the narrative believes that John and Jennie stare at the wallpaper. She is reading into insignificant glances or unintentional touch as something much larger. She is becoming possessive over the wallpaper.
3) “I think that woman gets out in the daytime! And I’ll tell you why- privately- I’ve seen her!” The narrative is experiencing visual hallucinations now, she imagines that there is a women in the wallpaper and she has even seen her. This shows that now the narrator is unreliable because she is exclaiming that she’s seen this woman from the wallpaper, which is clearly a figment of her imagination.
4) “It is fortunate that Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I CANNOT be with him, it makes me so nervous.” This indicates postpartum depression. The fact that she recently had a child and cannot be around with him without feeling nervous and anxiety. This shows she may be an unreliable narrator due to her depression and state of mind.
Another important aspect of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is the relationship between the protagonist and her husband John. The narrative speaks of him in high regard, yet doubts him and hides her writing from him. Their relationship depicts the struggle between them, and the way she views her husband John. Here are several examples of their relationship as well as her depiction of John throughout the text:
1) “John is a physician, and PERHAPS … that is one reason I do not get well faster.” Even though John’s career is to expertise in health, she believes the opposite is true in their relationship and that it in-fact impedes on her getting well. This shows that she does not trust his judgement as a physician in regards to her health.
2) “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no REASON to suffer, and that satisfies him.” This shows that she hides her depression from John, and that he truly does not know the extent of her depression. When the narrator says he knows there is no reason to suffer, this means that he views her as not seeing anything wrong with her, so he dismisses any worry.
3) “Dear John! He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick. I tried to have a real earnest reasonable talk with him the other day, and tell him how I wish he would let me go and make a visit to Cousin Henry and Julia..But he said I wasn’t able to go” John may believe he is looking out for his wife’s best interest, but keeping her in isolation upstairs is what is driving her crazy. The narrator expresses how she wish she could visit them but is held down by her husband John who doesn’t think she is well enough to go. John is able to convince her that her “nervous weakness” condition and “silly fancies” are of her own burden and only she can stop them. This leads to the narrator not revealing her writing or feelings to him, for fear of being reprimanded.
Utopia and dystopia are two words that can described the short stories by Gilman. In my opinion i would describe “The Cottagette” as the utopia and “The Yellow Wallpaper” as the dystopia. The reason for this is because in “The Cottagette”, regardless of the social norms and the pressure for Malda to be a cook and homemaker, Ford Mathews wants her to continue her passion for art and to not give it up in order to be in the kitchen for him. The ‘utopia’ can be seen as the perfect qualities within their love, unconditional of her role as a cook or homemaker to him. Although just as visually stimulating, “The Yellow Wallpaper” would have to be considered the dystopian in my opinion, due to the fact that the narrator is put in confinement and must hide her passion for writing as it is not accepted, unlike Malda was.
Gilman is very descriptive in the imagery in both short stories, from the barred windows in the room with the yellow wallpaper to the peace and beauty of the farmland. The settings in both stories are outdoor green with paths and plants and gardens. However vastly different in each stories are the women that inhabit them. In “The Cottegette”, Malda describes lovingly her surroundings and serenity that it gives her, how she would truly not want to live anywhere else. Unlike Malda, the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” describes her surroundings from the upstairs room she is confined to, describing her disgust for the yellow wallpaper which drives her mad. Although the narrators in the short stories could have potentially been in the same space, their environments and world’s are completely different from one another.
In “The Cottagette”, Malda can be seen as a reliable narrative for several reasons in the passage.
1) “Mine wasn’t much. I did embroidery and made designs.” This shows the narrator had work to focus on and wasn’t all-cosumed such as the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” was. Malda was able to express her love of art and music freely.
2) “Make a home? why it _is_a home. I never was so happy anywhere in my life.” This shows that Malda was happy in her current living situation and did not see any outward pressure to become a cook or homemaker as her friend Lois mentions.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman also wrote Women and Economics which also addresses the gender roles which women must give up any hopes or dreams of a life of their own in order to raise a family and become a housewife. Gilman used her writing platform in order to give rise to the woman within the wife, mother, and caretaker. Gilman was able to show first-hand how postpartum depression was treated as a weakness and with isolation and admonishment. Gilman expresses the creative freeness of Malda and how she changed her ways to please a man, who just wanted her to be herself and enjoy her passions as he had seen her do so. Gilman also challenges the state of living of a marriage and family, stating that “every human being needs a home”, regardless of marriage. Gilman through her writing is able to express the many facets of women along with the oppression they face in society.
