ANALYSIS OF “ THE YELLOW WALL PAPER”

Selin Gökçe Güray

2022243028

Plot
“The Yellow Wall Paper” examines a woman suffering from postpartum depression.
Where she was placed by her husband, she was obsessed with yellow wall paper in the room,
believing there were women stuck behind the wall paper. The more her mental state goes
down, the more details appear to her, and she believes even she herself is stuck too. The story
ends with an unfortunate mental breakdown of her, identifying herself as a woman who she
believes she sees behind The Yellow Wall Paper.

Characters
The main characters include the narrator who is unnamed, a new mother suffering
from a nervous disease. John, who is the husband of the narrator, is also a high standing
physician. Jennie who is John's sister, the couple’s housekeeper as well, and Marry the
caretaker.

Place/Time
The story is setted with a rented mansion out of the countryside during the 19th
century. The isolated and suffocated ambience of the mansion caused the narrator’s tragic
end.

Point of View
The story is narrated in the first person, the narrator transmite her experiences and
thoughts directly to the reader. Thus, readers experience the narrator’s madness from the first
hand.

Narrator
The narrator is an unnamed woman suffering from depression after giving birth. As
her mental state deteriorates, it is crystal clear how her inner conflicts get worse. Therefore,
the story becomes increasingly uneasy.

Conflict
The first conflict which the narrator’s struggle on her own is the pressure and scoffing
by her husband and society. There is also an external conflict between her husband who
ignores the narrator’s concerns and illness and insists on treating her by estimating worsened
conditions of her.

Theme
It can clearly be seen in “The Yellow Wall Paper” that the pressure of patriarchy on
women and denying the women’s freedom and autonomy in their own lives. The story also
highlights destructive effects of isolation and confinement on human psychology.