The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 1143 Words

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in 1860, in the city of Hartford, CT. She would later move to California. She would end her own life in 1935, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought for women’s rights and was an advocate of socialism. She wrote novels, poetry and short stories. She was a woman who was educated; her writing reflected her knowledge, relating to her strong thoughts on woman’s rights and independence and how women of Victorian times suffered from this lack of rights. In her short story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, Charlotte Perkins Gilman conveys her views on feminism and how women are treated through characters who represent this treatment. The characters she uses help the reader really get drawn into her story;†¦show more content†¦The narration is in first person only. This allows for the reader to really feel for and understand what the main character is going through. The mental illness she is suffering from over takes her; leading to full blown hysteria by the end of her stay. The first character introduced is, John. He is the husband of the narrator, and her physician. He is the reason she has come to this mansion. She also believes he is the reason she is not getting better faster. â€Å"John is a physician, and perhaps- (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief in my mind)-perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster† (Gilman, 1891). This statement, in the beginning of the story opens up the reader’s realization that the narrator is suffering from some mental illness. John is an antagonist of the story. He feels he is doing his wife good; by locking her away in this mansion. However, the reader soon realizes, this treatment is only worsening her mental state. He is never home with her; he always has patients to see in town, leaving her locked in this house; alone with her thoughts. He ensures that she gets rest and fresh ai r to get well. To him, it may seem as though he is doing his wife good; by locking her away in this mansion. However, this seclusion she experiences causes serious damage to her mental state. Her husband has control over her that women