Themes: Role of Women

"The Yellow Wallpaper" delves into the position of women in 19th-century American society, highlighting the dynamics of marriage, women's economic and social dependence on men, and the suppression of female identity and sexuality. The Victorian era heavily shaped social norms in the United States, stressing that women should behave modestly and remain within the domestic sphere. After the birth of her son, the protagonist suffers from postpartum...

Themes: Mental Illness

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is often considered psychological fiction because it offers a first-person account of mental illness. Gilman explores themes such as madness, depression, despair, and self-worth by vividly portraying the stages of a mental breakdown. With nothing to occupy her time and no say in her treatment, the narrator projects her bottled-up emotions onto the yellow wallpaper in her room. She eventually envisions a woman trapped within...

Themes: Autobiographical Elements and Women's Autonomy

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is partly autobiographical. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote it after she fled from her husband with her infant daughter to California. More important than the story’s similarities to Gilman’s own experience is the larger issue of a woman’s right to be creative and autonomous. The story can be seen as advocating a woman’s right to act and speak for herself; the alternative clearly leads to madness, as it does for Jane.

Themes: Societal Views on Women's Mental Health

At the time of the story, most people believed that women were delicate and prone to madness if overstressed. A common treatment for their presumed mental illnesses combined isolation, rest, and inactivity—the very things that cause Jane’s breakdown. From her own account, readers know that Jane enjoys writing and reading, yet John considers these to be dangerous activities to be avoided at all costs. At that time, it was common to remove a...

Themes: Symbolism of the Wallpaper and Rebellion

As Jane becomes more distanced from the world and from any source of sensory stimulation, she begins to hallucinate. Her visions of the creeping women and the woman trapped behind her bedroom’s wallpaper symbolize her own binding and oppression. It is the rest treatment prescribed by physicians such as her husband and brother that metaphorically cause the women whom Jane sees to creep like infants rather than walk as independent adults. Jane’s...

Themes: Jane's Final Act of Rebellion

At the story’s conclusion, the narrator locks herself in her room and ties a rope around her waist so that she cannot be removed. Jane, the woman from behind the yellow wallpaper, creeps about the edges of her prison, a room that she will now use as a fortress. It is significant that Jane waits to reveal her name to readers until after her husband faints in horror at seeing her reduced to a crawling madwoman.

Themes: Gender Roles

"The Yellow Wallpaper" explores the theme of gender roles, highlighting the oppressive nature of 19th-century societal norms. The story depicts a woman's struggle against the constraints imposed by her husband and society, which ultimately leads to her mental deterioration. Through the protagonist's experience, the story critiques the lack of autonomy and the rigid expectations placed on women, emphasizing the detrimental effects of these gender...