The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an autobiographical story describing the turmoil she suffered after the birth of her first child. The story is filled with symbolism that describes different stages Charlotte went through while she struggled to overcome her postpartum depression. Charlotte’s husband John was a stereotypical man for this era. He believed that women were to be wives and mothers and nothing more. John diagnosed Charlotte with a “temporary nervous …

…John’s reaction was with great surprise and he fainted at the sight of his wife creeping around the un-wallpapered room. Charlotte explained “I’ve got out at last” (p718), and she crawled over John’s body as a symbol that he would never stand in her way again of a healthy life. She says “In spite of you…I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so your can’t put me back!” (p718)