Talk about some creepy wallpaper
man. This was the first time I read this story and I found myself reading
faster and faster towards the end. The end was really excited and I just wanted
to know what she was going to do. Obviously she is insane and she tells herself
she is just sick. But I never thought wallpapers could be that creepy and troublesome
to a person. Just the way she talked about the memories of the wallpaper with
the boys tearing it up and the color just had a dark tone to it. Also the fact
that she would only look at it at night usually was quite weird. This mansion
that John brings her to sounds like quite the house. I bet at one time this
house was great looking. They have great views and seem to have plenty of
rooms. But I found it strange that they chose the nursery for the bedroom. This
girl just brings something to the table that is not right. I never thought a
nursery could be so dark and ominous but this one is. Doctor John seems like a
good guy and the she takes a liking to him. In the story though it seems like
he is not doing one thing to try to cure her. He kind of just lies there and
observes her and tells her to get some rest. He is a positive doctor that doesn’t
want to see his patient in distress.
But the main element that is
driving this girl insane is this yellow wallpaper she says, “ It is dull enough
to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and
provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little
distance they suddenly commit suicide-plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy
themselves in unheard contradictions” (Gilman 1685). Now that’s a mind boggler
right there. But this end of the quote referring to plunging off and committing
suicide could be foreshadowing what she was thinking about jumping out the
windows with her unheard contradictions regarding the paper. This author uses
great imagery when talking about this mysterious yellow wallpaper.
I am absolutely obsessed with this story. I have read it several times and have decided that it is my favorite American short story. From what I understand, Dr. John is her husband and I believe he has the best intentions at heart but so much hurt and trouble could have been avoided if he had listened to the narrator and not treated her as if she were a child. I think that the nursery was symbolizing that she had no say, as most women did not have a say back in those times. I think the dark depictions of the nursery is to symbolize that she is imprisoned, unable to express her own thoughts or work, which leads her to breakfree. I've always wondered if Gilman was alluding to the idea that insanity is the only way to escape society's hold on you...just a thought, I tend to over think though
ReplyDeleteThe wallpaper itself played a really important role in the story for me as well. The trouble to which Gilman goes to describe the wallpaper in such great detail, and then bring it to life in the narrator's voice is great - and extremely troubling at the same time. I think it is the most vividly frightening inanimate object in any story I've read before, and it plays such a powerful role by truly being the vehicle of the narrator's insanity.
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