          A feminist writer known as Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper." Published in 1892, "The Yellow Wallpaper" is about a woman that was mentally ill. The woman's husband kept her in a room to let her rest, which he thought would cure her condition. Unfortunately, the woman could not stand the "horrid" (Gilman 211) yellow wallpaper in the room. After analyzing "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Gilman's background involving mental illness and feminism, it could be interpreted that the author's experiences in that time period reflect in her writing of "The Yellow Wallpaper."

          Gilman married an artist named Charles Stetson (Merriman). After the couple gave birth to their first child, Gilman experienced postpartum depression. This caused her to have nervous breakdowns and at one point, she even thought that she may have had some kind of brain disease (Meyering 37). Gilman underwent a series of treatments for her depression, including Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell's "rest cure," which was described as no physical or intellectual stimulation (Merriman). Dr. Weir Mitchell even came to the conclusion that his treatment involved drastic measures as he described it with one of his female patients in his book, "In her case I carried my treatment to an almost absurd extreme. She was put in bed, and left it for no purpose," (Mitchell 95). The "rest cure" is also what the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" underwent. Dr. Weir Mitchell was even mentioned in the story and the narrator said about him, "John says if I don't pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall. But I do not want to go there at all. I had a friend who was in his hands once, and she says he is just like John and my brother, only more so" (Gilman 213). It could be assumed since Gilman was once in Dr. Weir Mitchell's care before that the "friend" the narrator was talking about in the previous quote was the author herself.

          John, the narrator's husband in "The Yellow Wallpaper," could represent Charles Stetson, Gilman's husband at that time. Gilman described the character John as a man who did not believe a word his wife said, for example, "John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him" (Gilman 210). This quote could be used as an explanation of men in that time period. The late 1800s and early 1900s was a time where most men did not take women seriously; therefore, women were often mistaken and put in an institution for mental health. "The Yellow Wallpaper" portrayed John to be superior to his wife. An example could be, "I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes. I'm sure I never used to be so sensitive. I think it is due to this nervous condition" (Gilman 209). This portrayed John's superiority by how the narrator blamed herself instead of him. She had feminist thoughts and got angry with him on the inside, but because he was the husband and was always right, she blamed her thoughts on her sickness and tried not to be so sensitive about it all. Another example of this could be when the narrator said, "I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already" (Gilman 211). This quote could show that all the narrator wanted to do was help John and make him the superior one in the relationship. Also, the use of the word, "already" could suggest that Gilman thought that all women eventually become burdens to their husbands and that the narrator had already become one earlier on in her marriage. If John's superiority actually represented Charles Stetson, then it could explain why Gilman, with her feminist ways, had later left him.

          Gilman eventually rejected the treatment of the "rest cure," separated from her husband, and moved to California where she became involved with social reform and feminist groups (Merriman). Because she rejected the advice of Mitchell, she decided to find new alternatives that included reading, writing, exercising, and enjoying the companionship of other women, which she benefited from in the supportive atmosphere of California (Meyering 37-38). Gilman believed that self-assertion was crucial to her mental health (Meyering 38). She conducted lectures in North America and the United Kingdom on subjects like trade unions and women's suffrage (Merriman). Gradually, Gilman became healthier and more involved in the feminist movement.

          Many of Gilman's views of feminism were portrayed in "The Yellow Wallpaper," one of which being her view towards marriage. The narrator said, "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 208). This could show Gilman's view on marriage and how she did not completely agree with it because a man was traditionally superior to a woman and, therefore, "laughed" at her for doing something out of the ordinary. In a letter that Gilman wrote to her first husband, she said, "I will give and give and give you of myself, but never give myself to you or any man" (Meyering 3). Gilman seemed like the kind of woman that did not need nor actually want a man in her life and it was also shown in "The Yellow Wallpaper," for she seemed independent and secretive. The narrator sneaked around and got away with writing when her husband told her not to. For example, she said, "There comes John, and I must put this away he hates to have me write a word" (Gilman 210). The narrator had just been trying to express herself because she was unable to express her feelings toward anyone else during the day, but her husband would not let her because it did not follow the treatment orders of the "rest cure."

          Although Gilman had a rather negative view on marriage, she eventually remarried George Houghton Gilman and the two stayed together until he suddenly died in 1934 (Merriman). In 1932, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer (Merriman). The year after the death of her husband, she committed suicide by overdosing on chloroform on August 17th, 1935 (Merriman). At the end "The Yellow Wallpaper," it could be assumed that the narrator committed suicide by hanging herself. The narrator mentioned that she was "securely fastened" (Gilman 220) by a rope and that when John had come to the locked door, her voice was gentle and got slower as she kept talking to him. This could indicate that the narrator hung herself with the rope and her voice became slower and gentler because she could not breathe to speak normally. The narrator said, "'I've got out at last '" (Gilman 221), which could show the author's views on suicide. It seemed that when Gilman was facing many troubles, she thought that the only way to escape was suicide, and she expressed that in "The Yellow Wallpaper."

          Charlotte Perkins Gilman made herself well known as a writer and a feminist. Her ideas on how women should or should not be treated were expressed in many of her works, including "The Yellow Wallpaper." Gilman explained that in writing "The Yellow Wallpaper," she had not intended "to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy" (Meyering 60). Gilman's first marriage did not work out well after her experience with post-partum depression and Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell's "rest cure." She left her husband and went on to California where she became more involved in feminism and found herself to be getting much better. It seemed that family was the primary source of her anxiety. Gilman had very negative views on marriage and she expressed them in "The Yellow Wallpaper," but eventually she remarried. Gilman was diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer and after her second husband died, she committed suicide, which was not that surprising since there is a theory that suicide was what the narrator may have committed at the end of "The Yellow Wallpaper." It was not that surprising because "The Yellow Wallpaper" may have somewhat portrayed Gilman's views on suicide. After looking into the background of Gilman, which involved mental illness and feminism, it can be interpreted that the experiences she had in her life influenced her writing of "The Yellow Wallpaper."

