I recently read The Yellow Wall-paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The story draws from Gilman’s personal experience with postpartum depression after the birth of her child. This book reminded me of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, which is based on her own time spent in an asylum after a nervous breakdown. It’s fascinating to read novels that offer an account of their mental health, especially when it’s written in literary format and by a female writer soooooo I just had to read it.
The story follows a woman who was taken to a secluded mansion to rest, prescribed by her husband, who is also her physician, in an effort to cure her “nervous depression.” Through the journal entries written by this woman, we see that she feels trapped in the house. She begins hallucinating about a woman stuck in the yellow wallpaper, which she initially hates, but later becomes fascinated by.
The book’s narrative is often disorienting. We’re placed in the point of view of a woman who is seeing things and hallucinating, constantly trapped in her own mind. The unreliable narration fits the story but also left me feeling frustrated. In the first part of the book, I wasn’t sure what was going on, partly because I didn’t read any summary and the unreliable nature of the narrator kept me confused.
From what I gathered online, this book is considered a social commentary on how mental illness is viewed. The physician in the story believes that mental illness can be cured by isolation and inactivity, which is the opposite of what would be recommended today. Additionally, the woman is forbidden from writing, which seems counterintuitive since journaling can often be an effective way to clear one’s thoughts. (Thank goodness we live in a time where years of discovery have led to significant progress in mental illness treatment.) The woman is kept in the mansion involuntarily, as her physician and husband have control over where she goes and what her diagnosis is. This might be where people argue that patriarchy is prevalent, as the narrator starts hallucinating, and the treatment isn’t helping.
However, I think it’s important to consider the historical context. At the time, there was limited knowledge about treating mental illness. I wouldn’t personally say that her husband was controlling; he was simply making decisions he thought were best for her wellbeing. She wasn’t necessarily trapped, but rather decisions were made for her to isolate her in the hopes of helping her.
Overall, this short story is thought-provoking and offers a substantial message in just a few pages. Although I didn’t feel personally connected to it, maybe it’s because the story was too short for me to truly connect with the narrator.
Have you read this book? If you have, share your thoughts in the comments! If not, let me know if it’s on your list! ❤️
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