"I'm getting fond of the room in spite of the yellow wallpaper..."

No matter how dedicated a reader I have been for the greater part of my reading life, I've managed to miss or skip so many classic literary works.  Recently Litlove discussed Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, which I had not even realized was a short story rather than a novel.  I had never gotten around to reading it, but my curiosity was piqued.  She mentioned "The Yellow Wallpaper" along with "The Turn of the Screw" (which I read a couple of years ago) as classic tales of hysteria.  I'm not sure which I liked better, but taken on its own, I like "The Yellow Wallpaper" very much.  This would be an excellent story to read as part of a larger discussion, as Gilman raises so many issues about women and society and science.

The narrator, a young woman who's recently given birth, has been ordered to take bed rest by her physician husband.  They've rented a "queer" mansion (why has it been so long untenanted?) and take an old nursery at the top of the house for their sleeping quarters.

"John is a physician, and PERHAPS--(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)--PERHAPS that is one reason I do not get well faster."

Her husband doesn't believe she's sick--there is really nothing the matter with her but temporary nervous depression--a slight hysterical tendency.  She's allowed nothing but rest.  No books, nothing.  She herself feels a bit of "congenial work" and a little change would actually be beneficial, but she's not permitted.  She surreptitiously takes to writing in her journal, and it is there that we come to see her downward spiral into madness.  It's the yellow wallpaper, you see--a smouldering unclean yellow, dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others.

"The paint and paper look as if a boys' school had used it.  It is stripped off--the paper--in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down.  I never saw a worse paper in my life."

"One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin."

As stories go, this one is excellently told.  As you read you feel the inner turmoil and torment that the narrator feels.  She really does spiral out of control.  It's no wonder she lost it having nothing to do all day, day after day, but look at that horrible yellow wallpaper.  After a while she perceives a pattern to it of sorts.  It's like a trellis, and behind it is a woman trying to get out.  No doubt much like how she felt.

"This wall-paper has a kind of sub-pattern in a different shade, a particularly irritating one, for you can only see it in certain lights, and not clearly then."

"But in the places where it isn't faded and where the sun is just so--I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to skulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design."

There's so much to think about in this story.  I found a critical guide about it in my library filled with essays on everything from motherhood to sickness to sexuality.  More than I can possibly try and contemplate here.  Charlotte Perkins Gilman is quite an interesting person herself.  She underwent "the cure" as well, so she knew what she was writing about.  She later committed suicide.  In the critical edition I borrowed, the editor writes:

""The Yellow Wallpaper first appeared in the New England Magazine in 1892 and has since become the focus of feminine controversy, as well as celebration, concerning the heroine's confrontation with patriarchy and social duties.  Gilman hoped to instruct her audience through her depiction of a woman who wants to write, who wants to do anything to avoid the boredom of isolation and the tedium of mothering."

Gilman had been treated for a breakdown after the birth of her daughter.  She wanted so badly to be productive and get well that she underwent treatment that was used for "nervous prostration" invented for shell shock of Civil War victims.  Gilman's cure consisted of:

"I was put to bed and kept there.  I was fed, bathed, rubbed, and responded with the vigorous body of twenty-six.  As far as he (her doctor) could see there was nothing the matter with me, so after a month of this agreeable treatment he sent me home, with this prescription:

'Live as domestic a life as possible.  Have your child with you all the time.'  (Be it remarked that if I did but dress the baby it left me shaking and crying--certainly far from a healthy companionship for her, to say nothing of the effect on me.)  'Lie down an hour after each meal.  Have but two hours' intellectual life a day.  And never touch pen, brush, or pencil as long as you live."

It's no wonder her doctor's cure led her to "progressive insanity", according to the text--what is known today as manic-depressive illness.  Yet another frightening example of how women were "handled".  I know I say this every weekend about every story/author I write about--but I do really want to read more of her work.  The critical edition I borrowed included the story, so I will be adding her name to my list and will be looking for her work in the bookstore next time I drop by.

Comments

[Isabel]

Even today, women with post-partum depression aren't really believed.

Interesting insights from the author and you.

[J.C. Montgomery (The Biblio Brat)]

This was a story which I read in college. The class was "Themes In Literature" and the theme for that semester was 'Descent Into Madness'. I must say, for such a short story, it generated a lively and enlightening discussion. Since then, I too have sought out and read other stories by this author. It has been worth the effort. I know you will feel the same.

[Danielle]

Isabel--I think you're right actually--I think sometimes they are not taken as seriously as they should be. Hopefully not everyone thinks that way now, though.
J.C.--That sounds like an interesting class. Do you remember the other texts you read? I think this story is going to stick with me for a while, and I plan on finding an anthology of her other work as well.

[Lisa the Librarian]

I too have missed quite a few of the classic works that everyone seems to have read. I just read The Yellow Wallpaper in the last several months and really liked it. I agree that this would be a good story to include in a broader discussion. I got so very frustrated reading this. At times I wanted to shake her, and I always wanted to choke John.

[chihiro]

This is a story I've wanted to read for quite a long time but somehow never grabbed for it. Thanks for your great review, I'm sure I'll read the story soon.

[Dorothy W.]

This is a great story -- I've taught it a time or two and the students liked it (although some were bewildered by it ...). It's so horrifying to think of what such a life would have been like -- the character's or Gilman's. To have a doctor tell you to have only two hours intellectual life a day!

[Ted]

I haven't read this one either but, like you, had heard about it. Sounds like a very contemporary story!

[Litlove]

Ohhh, I can't bear to think about all the classic works of literature I have never read! There's just so many! I loved your review of this, Danielle, it's just perfect. If you do find anything else by her I'll be very interested as I would like to read more of her work myself!

[Kate S.]

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is one of my favourites. If you want to read more Gilman, you might try "Herland" which is essentially a feminist utopian novel (though I don't think the term "feminist" was much in play at the time it was written!). It's very different from "The Yellow Wallpaper," not as well written in my estimation, but fascinating all the same. I've also read excerpts from one of her non-fiction books, "Women and Economics." I don't remember it well enough to recommend it, but I'm struck in thinking of these three works simultaneously by the breadth of Gilman's interests and accomplishements and by how extraordinarily ahead of her time she was.

[Danielle]

Lisa--This was really an excellent story. It was sad how dismissive her husband was to any of her wishes. It seems only *he* knew what was right for her and she had no input. Scary.
Chihiro--It is fast reading and you can even find it online at Project Gutenberg, which is where I read it. Now I think I want to get a book of her work, though.
Dorothy--It would have been a very stifling existence. I hope it wasn't like this for every woman. No wonder it was so hard to break free. It would be a great story to teach, I imagine there would be lots of discussion!
Ted--It's a quick read--I really recommend it! It certainly shows how far we've come.
Litlove--I'm so glad you posted on this as that is what prompted me to pick it up. I think it will be impossible to read all the classic works--no matter how much I read I feel like I am missing the 'important' works--whatever that means! :)
Kate--I have heard of Herland, and now that I've tried her work I will be looking for more. Perhaps this is the best place to start. I think most books are anthologies that have a variety of exceprts from her writing. I'll have to look for a book that includes Herland. Thanks for the suggestions!

[Jaimie]

Wow! How did I miss this one? I have never heard of either the title or the author! It looks fascinating though and I know I will read it. Thanks for another great review!

[Danielle]

Jaimie--You can find the story on Project Gutenberg. It's not long--maybe 15 pages and well worth a read!