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Jayden F. Zendejas

Professor Benas

ENGL- 1B- 35754

16 February 2025

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Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” analyzes the harmful effects of

patriarchal oppression on mental health. From the narrators forced confinement and the

dismissive nature of John, the societies patriarchal gender roles are exposed getting rid of

women's autonomy and voice. Her progressively changing perspective of the wallpaper shows

the effects of being forced into submission, while the need for self-expression is highlighted

through her secret journaling. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins criticizes the time's

patriarchal society by portraying the narrator's mental health decline as a result of the denial of

medical care and autonomy to show the harm of gender oppression.

The narrator's husband, John’s dismissive behavior to her condition shows how a

patriarchal society oppresses women. From the beginning of the story, John who is a physician,

dismisses her condition showing that men are the primary authority. On page 647, the narrator

writes in their secret journal that, “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in

marriage.. . .You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?” This entry in her

journal shows how she has had to become accustomed to being belittled in her marriage with

John. The way he treats the narrator not only invalidates her feelings but also denies her of her

autonomy. This treatment shows the narrator's initial lack of control in her life that she tries to

get back through secretly writing in her journal.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator’s forced confinement and lack of autonomy,

imposed on her by John, show how the times society oppressed women and how it contributed to

her mental health decline. The strict control John has over her life from prohibiting her from

expressing her thoughts to limiting social interactions leads to her feeling lonely and powerless.

On page 468, the narrator thinks to herself, “I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less

opposition and more. society and stimulus - but John says the very worst thing I can do is to

think about my condition. . .” In saying this, it highlights how John’s control over her life denies

her the freedom and stimulation that she so desires. As a result, it leads to her condition only

worsening rather than improving like John thinks it would. John insisting that the worst thing she

can do is think about her illness, invalidates her experiences and exemplifies the idea that the

emotions of women are irrational and irrelevant. Through John's treatment of the narrator, the

patriarchal treatment of women of this time is critiqued by Gilman to show how this forced

submission led to her mental health decline.

As the story progresses, the narrator's changing perspective on the yellow wallpaper

matches her mental health decline showing the impact that forcing women to be passive has on

mental health. At first, the narrator sees the wallpaper as ugly and irritating. Despite this, John's

forced isolation of her causes her to become obsessed with the patterns on the wallpaper showing

her deteriorating mental health along with it. On page 649, the narrator states, “There is a

recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you. . .

those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere.” This description of the wallpaper shows her

declining mental state through her growing paranoia as the wallpaper is no longer just a roll of

paper, but something sinister that is always watching. Through this shift of perspective of the
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wallpaper, Gilman criticizes the act of denying autonomy to show how it negatively affects the

mental health of individuals.

The importance of self-expression as an escape and to resist societal restrictions is

highlighted through the narrator's secret journal. Being in a society that allows for her autonomy

to be stripped, writing in secret became her only way of having any kind of independence. On

page 649, the narrator is shown to be aware of that act of defiance when she says, “There comes

John, and I must put this [journal] away, - he hates to have me write a word.” John's attitude

toward her writing, reveals how the patriarchal society of the time strongly disapproved of

women embarking on intellectual and creative endeavors. The narrator tries to gain back some

sort of control over her life by writing in secret. Despite her gaining some control back in her life

through secretly writing, she is still forced to hide what she truly feels. As a result, the journal

ends up as an account documenting her mental health decline. In a society that quiets women's

voices, Gilman shows the importance of self-expression where the interdiction of this led to the

narrator's psychological degradation.

The narrator's breakdown in the finale, when she comes to identify the trapped wallpaper

women, represents how oppression from a patriarchal society feels inescapable. Throughout the

story, as the narrator became progressively obsessed with the wallpaper, she started to identify

with the woman trapped behind it. This mirrored how she felt, trapped. On page 656, the narrator

states, “I’ve got out at last, in spite of you and Jane! And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so

you can’t put me back!” Ripping off the wallpaper in her hysteria represents her desperation to

be free. She starts to fully believe that the woman in the wallpaper is her by having to reject who

she once was. As a result, she loses her grip on reality showing the terrible effects that forced
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submission has. Through the story getting concluded like this, Gilman shows how being

dismissive of what someone is experiencing because of their gender can be damaging.

​ The narrator's progressive shift through the story from submissive to rebellious shows

how resistance is inevitable when someone's autonomy is taken away. At first she accepts the

authority of her husband. As her isolation persists, she starts to realize the unjust ways of his

actions in treating her like this leading to her growing defiant. On page 655, The narrator

exclaims, “I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window

would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try.” By saying this, she is no

longer submissive to Johns control but rather resents it. The bars on the window represent how

the narrator feels trapped. By the end of the end of the story, she completely disconnects with

reality as she starts to believe that she is a one of the women stuck in the wallpaper who escaped

as a way to reclaim freedom in her life. Through this change in the story, it is shown that when

autonomy is taken away, rebellion is inevitable.

​ Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” shows the harmful effects of

patriarchal oppression on mental health. By showing the narrator's mental health decline being a

result of her husbands dismissive nature, control, forced confinement, and prohibiting autonomy,

the consequences of denying women their independence and voice is shown. Through this short

story, Gilman criticizes the patriarchal authority of her time to warn of the psychological

repercussions.
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Works Cited

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” 1892.