Discussion Topic

Marriage in "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Summary:

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," marriage is depicted as a restrictive and controlling institution. The protagonist's husband, John, exercises authoritative control over her, dismissing her opinions and confining her to a room under the guise of treatment. This dynamic reflects the broader societal norms of the time, where women were often subjugated and their autonomy severely limited within marriage.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What do the narrator's remarks in "The Yellow Wallpaper" imply about her views on marriage?

The narrator is trapped in a patriarchal marriage, in which her physician husband makes all the decisions for her and calls her a "silly goose" when she complains.

However, we can infer that she would prefer a marriage founded on companionship in which she and her husband John are equal partners. For instance, she states that

It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work.

We learn that she left is alone quite a bit because John often goes to town for work, which makes her unhappy. She would clearly prefer more company from her husband.

We can also infer that the narrator disagrees strongly with how her husband is choosing to treat her mental breakdown, which is probably due to post-partum depression. When John says that if she doesn't improve soon, she'll be put into the hands of Weir Mitchell (a real-life doctor who worked with mental illness), she states she doesn't like the idea:

a friend . . . was in his hands once, and she says he is just like John and my brother, only more so!

We can also infer that by the end of the story, the narrator is very angry at her husband over the way he has been treating her. She states,

He asked me all sorts of questions, too, and pretended to be very loving and kind.

She is not willing to settle for patronizing, parental concern from a spouse—she wants a husband who will treat her as an adult human being. Eventually, she locks him out of the room.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial