The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis

The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis

In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a woman narrates her struggle to overcome her illness and her obsession with the terrible yellow wallpaper covering her room. Her husband John, a high standing doctor, believes that this “illness” of hers is simply a nervous condition which would easily be cured with lots of rest and very little intellectual time. He thinks her wallpaper obsession is just plain silly and pays little attention to it. The woman has quite a different view of the situation though.

She believes that she really is sick and feels that writing will help cure her problems. Unfortunately writing is something John greatly disapproves of. She also wishes she could change the hideous wallpaper she feels is driving her crazy. That’s where their problems begin. Although John loved his wife and wanted her to get better, they shared bad communication and couldn’t agree on a cure.

Right from the start of the story you could tell that the wife and husband didn’t communicate well. The story quotes, “You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do (Gilman 1)?”

John, being such a high standing physician, relies more on his medical education than his wife’s feelings and opinions; sadly, she just accepts the fact that he is not going to listen to her. Another quote reads, “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him (3).”

Once again, John is only seeing the situation through a doctor’s eyes and not listening to the pain his wife claims to be going through. If there was a good line of communication in the relationship he would’ve paid more attention to her feelings and listened to her as a husband would, rather than how a doctor would. It had to be hard trying to figure out a cure to a condition they didn’t even agree on.

The crumbling relationship of the couple eventually turned into much more than just bad communication. The wife’s illness began to take quite a toll on her and she started believing that her husband didn’t love or care about her even though the very opposite was true. He loved her very much and deeply wished she would get better, but he just couldn’t seem to find the right cure for her situation. This is proved by, “John says I mustn’t lose my strength, and has me take cod liver oil and tonics and things, to say nothing of ale and wine and rare meat (6).”

As well as, “He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well (6).”

John wouldn’t be saying things of that nature if he didn’t truly care