English 102-04 The Rest Cure: Its Negative Impacts on Charlotte Perkins Gilman

In 1877, Silas Weir Mitchell became famous for his treatment of nervous disorders. His treatment was called the Rest Cure. His treatment was extensive and strict, and what we would think of today as being ridiculous. His treatment included that the patient has to stay in bed for six weeks to two months, were in some cases not allowed to turn themselves over without aid, were not allowed to read or write. He informed his patients …

…there. The fact that she did not write this as a hateful towards S. Weir Mitchell, but as an eye-opening piece of writing that will make people see all aspects of the Rest Cure. The way Gilman expressed this knowledge, because she lived it for over a month, was by showing all the aspects of the Rest Cure in the story "The Yellow Wallpaper" with the setting, the characters, and the tone of the story.