Discussion Topic
The use and benefits of the first-person point of view in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Summary:
The first-person point of view in "The Yellow Wallpaper" allows readers to intimately experience the protagonist's descent into madness. It provides direct insight into her thoughts and feelings, creating a powerful sense of empathy and highlighting the oppressive nature of her environment. This perspective enhances the story's psychological depth and underscores themes of mental illness and gender oppression.
How does "The Yellow Wallpaper" demonstrate a first-person point of view?
In choosing a point of view, a writer is making an important decision about the impact her story will have and the way in which it will be interpreted. The choice of a first-person narrative allows for nuance in terms of the reliability of the narrator, which is very important in "The Yellow Wallpaper." Because the story is written in the first person, the narrator can only present the world as she sees and understands it; unlike an omniscient third-person narrator, she cannot tell us what is going on in other people's minds, nor can she give a definitive description of the world around her. Some stories might use a limited third-person narrator, in which the story is written from a third-person perspective (the author describing the protagonist as "he" or "she") wherein the story is similarly limited to the understanding and knowledge of the main character.
In...
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this story, we can see from the very first sentence that a first-person perspective has been selected. The narrator refers to "myself" in the first line and, in the second line, uses the pronoun "I." The style of writing makes it clear that the narrator is describing the world from her own perspective and understanding: "I would say," "I will proudly declare."
What benefits does the first-person narrative provide in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
Having "The Yellow Wallpaper" narrated by a woman who is infantilized by her husband and brother deepens the pathos of the story. She speaks from firsthand experience about what it is like for women to be prevented from enjoying essential human freedom and to have their concerns and interests dismissed as illogical and unimportant.
The institution of marriage in general comes under fire in the story's opening, as the narrator observes, "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage." This offhand remark speaks volumes about how little respect the narrator feels that she can plausibly expect from her husband.
Though the narrator wants to pursue her interest in writing, she is "absolutely forbidden to 'work'" by her husband, who also happens to be a doctor. His natural assumed authority as a male is intensified by the status of his profession. It places him in a paternal position, and the narrator's brother is also a doctor. It seems apparent that even if the narrator were able to escape the control of her husband, her brother is not likely to be of any more help to her in her desire for self-determination.