The Yellow Wallpaper: Mental Illness and Oppression in Marriage

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Mental illness is a complicated issue in society because some people believe that it is not a ‘real’ illness like pneumonia or heart disease which have obvious physical symptoms. Some people with mental illness have been accused of faking illness for various reasons. There are many negative attitudes surrounding mental illness, and this is why there is a lot of stigma around the issue. Individuals experiencing challenges with their mental wellbeing find it difficult to seek help and share their diagnosis with those close to them, such as their family and friends. Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses for which people should seek medical diagnosis and treatment. However, due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, many sick people hide their symptoms and feelings, choosing to behave as normally as possible even as they suffer inside. Literature is one avenue that can be used to address critical social issues such as mental illness. In her short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper,’ Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores the social issues of mental illness and oppression in marriage.

The narrator in the story tells her story from the first-person point of view. Gilman wrote the story based on her own experiences. The narrator is a married woman with postpartum depression, but her husband refuses to acknowledge the fact that she is unwell. Although the narrator knows her condition is serious, she dares not voice any kind of opposition as her husband John as well as her brother both agree that she is only suffering from temporary nervous depression (Pokorná, 2013). Both of them being respected physicians, she cannot make a case against them. John believes that all his wife needs is plenty of rest and air, and they take a holiday home in the country to achieve this. While living in the countryside, the narrator is not allowed to do any kind of work, visit anyone or have any visitors over. Her husband wants her to stay calm and avoid any kind of stimulation, including her own thoughts and imagination. He refuses to listen to any of her requests, and she ends up having a psychotic break.

Whenever a woman gives birth, she undergoes many changes, and this is bound to affect her mental health. Almost all women experience ‘baby blues’ after birth, but some have a more severe condition known as postpartum depression. Baby blues might involve feelings of helplessness and weeping, but these soon go away. Postpartum depression symptoms persist for a long time and need medical attention to treat. The American Psychological Association reports that, on average, one in every seven women who give birth experience postpartum depression in the first year after delivery. There are roughly 4 million live births every year in the United States, and this translates to about 600,000 women diagnosed with clinical postpartum depression annually. These figures represent live births, and on accounting for stillbirths, miscarriages and other complications in pregnancy, the number rises to roughly 900,000 women each year (American Psychological Association 2019). Experts believe that not all women with postpartum depression seek medical help; thus, there are many more cases that go unreported and untreated. These women fail to seek medical attention for several reasons, one of them being that no one believes they are sick. This is the case in the short story, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’

The narrator in the story has an undiagnosed mental illness which everyone dismisses as a temporary situation to be cured by rest and air. The narrator knows she is getting progressively worse and tries to hide her symptoms from her husband, who does not believe her. He remains quite dismissive of her, to the point where she begins to doubt her own illness. She writes, “You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?” (Gilman 1999) She tries to compose herself as much as possible for her husband. However, as the story progresses, readers can see her situation getting worse. She explains that she is forbidden to do any kind of work, including writing, which she believes would do her good. “I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write_ a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me.” (Gilman 1999) Jennie, John’s sister, takes care of the baby and all the housework so the narrator can have all the rest she needs. With no form of entertainment or pastime, she is left to dwell on her thoughts and sickness. The yellow wallpaper in her room takes up all her attention to the point that she can barely think of anything else. She begins to see images of women behind the patterns on the paper, trying to get free. Towards the end of the story, the images become real enough, and the narrator believes she is one of the women who escaped from the wallpaper. She ends up having a psychotic episode as a result of her untreated condition.

Postpartum depression remains an issue in today’s society, as shown by the significant number of women diagnosed with the condition each year. One of the obstacles in the treatment of any mental illness is the stigma surrounding it. A sick person could be labelled dramatic, attention-seeking, or any other kind of negative label. Such people try to hide their illness to the world and carry on as if everything is well. This is the exact situation that the narrator in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ experiences. However, hiding the symptoms only makes matters worse. The short story helps people understand the danger of ignoring or dismissing mental illness (Hume 2002). The story reflects the experience of many women with postpartum depression and how they are treated by those around them. The text increases awareness on how people’s should pay attention to mental illness and seek proper medical care. The narrator in the story was subject to the ‘resting cure’ which only exacerbated matters.

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ explores another critical social issue; oppression in marriage. The .narrator is oppressed in her marriage, but she does not see it that way. She believes that her husband is only trying to help her. John being a doctor, assumes he is qualified to diagnose his wife’s illness, yet he does not take the time to listen to her. He continually dismisses her and laughs at her outright. This type of belittling behaviours have led the narrator to keep her thoughts and opinions to herself as she is sure her husband would frown upon them. When a spouse feels like they cannot express themselves in any way, this is a sign of oppression (Qasim et al. 2015). John also keeps the narrator’s family away from her under the guise of protecting her mental state. This level of control amounts to oppression. An example of this is when she writes, “…how I wish he would let me go and make a visit to Cousin Henry and Julia.” (Gilman 1999) As an adult woman, the narrator should be free to make her own choices, but she needs her husband’s consent for everything. John even refuses to let her choose a room she likes in their temporary home, or renovate the room he chose for them. Additionally, the narrator is forbidden from writing, something she believes would relieve the pressure of her illness and make her better. Jennie stays with the family so that she can monitor the narrator’s every move.

Many women today are oppressed in their marriages, although there are no exact figures available. Some women, such as the narrator in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ believe that their spouses care about them and only want the best for them. However, in cases like that of the narrator, some actions amount to oppression and tyranny. Any adult should be allowed to do what they feel is best for their wellbeing, and that includes seeking proper medical care and indulging in activities they enjoy. In the short story, John controlled every aspect of his wife’s life including what she ate, where she slept, how long she could rest, what she could do, and who could visit her (Qasim et al. 2015). He even threatened to send her to Weir Mitchell, a doctor who advocated for the resting cure if she failed to get better. ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ allows married people to see the limits of what their spouses can dictate, and how extreme tyranny can lead to disaster.

In conclusion, mental illness and oppression in marriage remain matters of concern for many people in society today. Literature is a critical avenue for examining such social issues, and Charlotte addresses these sensitive topics in her short story, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’ The narrator in the story failed to get the correct treatment for postpartum depression because those around her did not believe she was seriously sick. She ended up having a mental breakdown. Such dismissive attitudes and stigma around mental health remain to this day, and the story should be a warning on the seriousness of the issue. Oppression in the marriage also contributed to the narrator’s woes, as she was unable to make any decisions regarding her mental wellbeing.

References

“What is postpartum depression & anxiety?” American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/pi/women/resources/reports/postpartum-depressionGilman, C. P. (1999). The yellow wallpaper. Project Gutenberg.

Hume, B. A. (2002). Managing Madness in Gilman’s” The Yellow Wall-Paper”. Studies in American Fiction, 30(1), 3-20.

Pokorná, A. (2013). Depiction of Mental Illness in The Yellow Wallpaper.

Qasim, N., Mehboob, S., Akram, Z., & Masrour, H. (2015). Women’s Liberation: The Effects of Patriarchal Oppression on Women’s Mind. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 5(7), 382-393.