The Yellow Wallpaper Group at eNotes

At the end of this short story several things have occured. The...

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:37:28 PST

At the end of this short story several things have occured. The "woman in the wallpaper" has escaped, as the narrator has ripped her free. The narrator then proceeds to crawl around the edge of the room against the wall, John breaks into the room and passes out from the sight of his wife, and then the narrator continues to crawl around the wall over John when she reaches him each time. Many people have compared the narrator to Gilman...

The gardener's daughter is not a character in the actual story, "The...

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:32:40 PST

The gardener's daughter is not a character in the actual story, "The Yellow Wallpaper," but an addition to a film version of the story entitled "The Yellow Wall-Paper" directed by John Robbins. Thus, the film is Robbin's interpretation of the story. As, Charlotte, the narrator, suffers more and more from boredom, she notices the gardener's daughter enjoying riding her bicycle on the garden path. Her freedom is in direct contrast to the...

What was happening to the gardener's daughter that Charlotte saw...

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:01:54 PST

What was happening to the gardener's daughter that Charlotte saw through the window in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?

The narrator is happiest when allowed to write. Once her notebook is...

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:45:47 PST

The narrator is happiest when allowed to write. Once her notebook is taken away and she is no longer allowed this outlet for her thoughts and sanity, she takes a nosedive into the insanity that drives her to crawl around the room and over her husband's body.

The narrator does go through several stages as she decends into...

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:35:39 PST

The narrator does go through several stages as she decends into madness. At the beginning of the story, she is suffering from, most likely, post-partum depression when her husband locks her away. As she begins to notice the specifics of the room, things begin to fall apart for the narrator. She gradually, then, becomes obsessed with the wallpaper and its pattern. Then, she noticed a woman in the wallpaper and her narrative begins to...

As for symbolic actions, the narrator's tearing down the wallpaper in an...

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:08:23 PST

As for symbolic actions, the narrator's tearing down the wallpaper in an attempt to find the "woman" in the wallpaper represents her struggle to retain or regain her sanity. The wallpaper has been part of her confinement and by her tearing it down, she is freeing herself from that confinement.Another symbol is the narrator's writings in her notebook and the notebook itself. Both represent the narrator's attempt to have normalcy...

The poor narrator is confined by her physician husband to a room,...

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:17:15 PST

The poor narrator is confined by her physician husband to a room, forbidden to read, write or engage in any stimulating activity. She is remanded to total bed rest to ease her condition of post-partum depression after the birth of her son.With little choice, under the close supervision of both her husband and her sister-in-law, the narrator, who believes that work, excitement or a different setting would help cure her, she is stuck in her...

Stages of Happiness in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:23:42 PST

I have write an Process Analysis Essay, What are the stages that the protagonist goes through in the attempt to reach happiness?

This is a difficult question to address because we simply don't have...

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 20:32:50 PST

This is a difficult question to address because we simply don't have information about their intimate life; however, we can certainly speculate...John, to me, is not a likeable character, although his actions were perhaps typical of a male during this time period as it relates to getting treatment for his wife. He was a doctor and perhaps, deep down, he felt he was doing what was best for his wife. Clearly, there is a lack of communication...

Is Gilman suggesting that John and the narrator (his wife) are sexually...

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 11:32:55 PST

From the story, "He said there was only one window and not room for two beds, and no near room for him if he took another."

Well, it is obvious that John wants control. He favors the advice of...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:08:17 PST

Well, it is obvious that John wants control. He favors the advice of the male doctors and his own opinions rather than the suggestions and pleas of his wife. Women were considered the weaker sex when this story was written (and, I guess, still are in many ways still today--take the fact that we are still only paid 80 cents to every dollar the men make in the same business) based on the fact that most women are more emotional than...

This is a great question for the discussion board, since it is one that...

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:32:17 PST

This is a great question for the discussion board, since it is one that is based upon opinion.I personally find it VERY difficult to understand John's rationale for his "treatment" of his wife. I realize that during this time period, this type of treatment was quite common for people who suffered certain mental illnesses; however, there is clearly a detachment here. John refused to listen to his wife's pleas and simply swept...

Is John “clearly a domineering husband who wants to have absolute...

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:00:43 PST

Is John “clearly a domineering husband who wants to have absolute control over his wife,” as feminist readings of the story have argued?

In reply to #2: Thanks for your help!!!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:29:21 PST

In reply to #2: Thanks for your help!!!

If you are writing a compare and contrast essay between Gilman and Poe's...

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:47:09 PST

If you are writing a compare and contrast essay between Gilman and Poe's motivations, you might find it helpful to visit our page here at eNotes, How to Write a Compare-and-Contrast Essay in Eight Easy Steps.Good luck!

I do think the realistic nature of the woman in "The Yellow...

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:04:22 PST

I do think the realistic nature of the woman in "The Yellow Wallpaper" evokes more sympathy for her. She is a character that many readers can relate to; whereas Poe's characters aren't easy to relate to, so yes, I think the difference in sympathy for Poe's and Gilman's characters definitely has to do with the "humanitarian sympathies" that "The Yellow Wallpaper" evokes.

Sympathy, Humanitarianism, and "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 16:07:40 PST

In reply to #2: Thanks for your help!!!

The garden represents freedom; in contrast, the room where she is...

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 21:00:32 PST

The garden represents freedom; in contrast, the room where she is confined represents her confinement, not only literally, but figuratively. The garden is a beautiful place that is outside of the house, so this represents the freedom she could have. The room she is confined, too, though, is an ugly room, covered in horrible yellow wallpaper. The furniture is sparse and there are bars on the windows. This room is representative of her...

What is the symbolic contrast between the garden and the enclosed,...

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 10:46:34 PST

What is the symbolic contrast between the garden and the enclosed, confined room? Why does the woman herself throw the key away?

Another point I believe Gilman is making is that mental illness and...

Sat, 7 Jun 2008 20:35:45 PST

Another point I believe Gilman is making is that mental illness and depression (particularly post partum depression) were not treated effectively during this time. Anyone who had mental illness was either locked up in a sanitorium or given shock treatments, etc. These people were treated like pariahs of society, which was so unfortunate. Gilman's story brings the unfair treatment of depressed women to light in her story, which helped...