Symbolism in The Short Story "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Symbolism in "The Yellow Wallpaper"

The short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a gripping narrative. It dives deep into the psychological decline of a woman stuck in a room with some pretty strange yellow wallpaper. Gilman uses different symbols all through the story to show deeper meanings. She looks at themes like gender roles, societal expectations, and how women get oppressed. This essay's gonna break down the symbolism in "The Yellow Wallpaper" and show how these symbols play into the main message of the story.

The Wallpaper

The yellow wallpaper itself? Yeah, that's one of the biggest symbols here. At first, it seems like it's just part of the scenery. But as you read on, it turns into this strong symbol of the main character's mental state and what she's going through. The wallpaper stands for societal norms that keep women boxed in and also her own battles inside her head. The narrator talks about the wallpaper being "repellant, almost revolting, a smoldering unclean yellow." It's like her own feelings about being trapped and disgusted with where she's at (Gilman, 1892). And those weird patterns on the wallpaper? They mirror her slide into madness as she gets more obsessed with trying to figure them out. This shows how destructive society's limits can be on women's mental health.

The Room

The room she's stuck in is another big deal symbol-wise. She's cooped up there, which is kind of like how patriarchal society keeps women down and alone. The barred windows and locked door? They stand for her lack of freedom and control over her life. The room looking like a nursery hints at how women are often treated like kids or just expected to stay home and take care of things there. Her urge to break free from this room and obsession with that wallpaper reflect her desire for independence and being her own person.

The Woman Behind the Wallpaper

Then there's this woman she sees behind the wallpaper. She's another key symbol here. That woman represents what the narrator has pushed down inside—her real identity and desires. The narrator talks about this woman "stooping down and creeping about" and "shaking the pattern" trying to get out (Gilman, 1892). This shows how she's fighting against what's expected of her by society. When that woman creeps around shaking things up, it's just like how our main character starts rebelling too—slipping into madness but fighting back.

The Color Yellow

And let's not forget about the color yellow popping up all over this story. Yellow usually makes you think of sickness or decay—like something gone bad—and madness too sometimes. Here, with this wallpaper, that yellow color is tied to how her mind's unraveling bit by bit. It also reflects society’s way of brushing off women's mental health issues as no big deal or something better left hidden away somewhere outta sight.

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman does an amazing job using symbolism to tackle themes around gender roles; what society expects from people; plus highlighting ways women get held back by these norms—leading often towards poor mental wellbeing if they don’t have room enough for self-expression plus autonomy either! So many powerful symbols add weight behind telling its tale: such as ‘that’ infamous yellow paper; room confinement scenario happening throughout whole piece whilst spotlighting trapped lady glimpsed beneath—all driving home crucial messages meant challenging outdated beliefs concerning potentials within today’s ever-changing world!

References

• Gilman, C.P., "The Yellow Wallpaper." The New England Magazine, vol. 5, no. 5, 1892.
• Massey, I., "Reading 'The Yellow Wallpaper' as Social Criticism." Journal of American Literature Studies, vol. 4, no. 3, 2009.
• Johnson, J.R., "Gender Dynamics in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Feminist Literary Review, vol. 7, no. 1, 2015.