Reaction Paper - The Yellow Wallpaper
Eng 125
August 22, 2016
Reaction Paper - The Yellow Wallpaper
The yellow wallpaper is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the 6,000 word story was first published in January of 1982. It is important to note that this story is based on some personal experience as Charlotte herself experienced severe depression after the birth of one of her daughters and her doctor had prescribed the same rest “cure” as the doctor in the story.
The story begins with the woman talking about the house her husband was taking her to for vacation. The husband goes by the name of John and is also the woman’s doctor. Her husband does not believe she is actually ill and says that she just needs rest to get better. She is then isolated to a room on the third floor of the home which was previously used as a nursery. The only thing in the room is a bed which she describes as nailed down to the floor. Immediately she notices the wallpaper in the room and is discussed by it. The woman tries to explain her feelings about her condition to her husband several times but he simply makes light of it so she takes to written in a diary even though writing is forbidden. The woman has little contact with anyone as her husband is away in town with patients most days and also some nights. The only other person she has contact with is her husband’s sister who is the housekeeper. As the story goes on, the woman begins to notice a woman inside the wallpaper who is trying to escape. She spends hours just staring at it and watching the woman try to get out. At the end of the story, she finally rips off all the wallpaper in an attempt to help free the trapped woman. The next morning her husband John returns to take her home, however he faints when entering the room because his wife is just creeping around the room repetitively. Even after the husband faints, she just keeps on going right over the top of him each time around the room. The...