The_Yellow_Wallpaper

Deleted things from The yellow wallpaper essay “I am glad my case is not serious!” This is a rather worrying statement; this makes the reader feel that things aren’t as simple as they first thought. We talked about John’s logical approach and how he believes it’s a “temporary nervous depression”. This confirms how Post Natal Depression was not fully understood. Women were believed to be hysterical because there was no single cause of depression. “But he is right enough about the beds and windows and things…I would not be so silly as to make him uncomfortable just for a whim.” Here we see she regards herself as silly. She would make excuses to convince herself that John is right. This is an example of Patriarchal Society; meaning men are the decision makers and hold positions of power and respect, and have the power to define reality and common situations. “But in places where it isn’t faded and where the sun is just so – I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure” We learn here that she can see this unsettling figure every once in a while, she would wait for that one time to see this figure; therefore showing us how her mental state is deteriorating and paranoia is increasing. “At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all moonlight, it becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be.” John’s wife can see the woman trapped behind bars, very much reflecting her own situation of being imprisoned in her room and shows that she must sub-consciously realise this. John’s wife, not wanting to be disturbed, locks herself in her bedroom and throws away the key. She believes that tearing all of the wallpaper down would be a nice surprise for John when he comes back in later on. “I don’t want to go out, and I don’t want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him.” She mentions how outraged she was she was willing to do something desperate. “To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise” This showing us that even if she were to attempt this, she wouldn’t know what she was doing.