The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper was a very well written descriptive story of a woman on the verge of a mental breakdown. Else is surrounded by men of high standing(p.367) in a time when a woman's thoughts were very meaningless. After the birth of her child and her depressive state worsens she knows something is truly wrong with her, and nobody will listen, not even her husband, John. After they move to a new house her entire day becomes consumed with dwelling on the yellow wallpaper in the room she just can't stop staring at. "The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight." (p. 368) She speaks of this wallpaper as though there is absolutely nothing else that matters to her at the time. As time progresses she starts to enjoy the room, "I'm getting really fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper. It dwells in my mind so!" (p. 371) Before you know it the wallpaper consumes her every moment. Later Else becomes so infatuated with the wallpaper she begins to see a woman trapped behind bars, just as she feels and believes she is real. "I think that woman gets out in the daytime!" (p. 375) Everything in her life is now overtaken by this wallpaper and the woman behind bars. Else is quickly losing her sanity. Later her depression leads to delusions and she eventually becomes the woman in the wallpaper, "I wonder if they come out of the wallpaper as I did?... I suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard." (p. 377) She locks herself in the room and when John tries to get in he panics, "For God's sake, what are you doing?" In the end as John opens the door and before he faints she tells him, "I've got out at last,... I pulled off most the paper, so you can't put me back." Back where, feeling trapped behind bars where she was made to keep her emotions a secret. Else was so unable to seek correct treatment perhaps because of her husbands high standing and embarrassment he might suffer and he would rather keep her locked away from judgement until she frees herself like the woman in the wallpaper.