

Charlotte Perkins Gillman wrote the story of The Yellow Wallpaper in 1892 shortly after she moved to California and was cured of Post-Partum Depression.  After, Ms. Gillman gave birth to her daughter she suffered from a severe case of depression. The depression got worse as it was left untreated and the presence of her husband and daughter only made the depression worse. The Yellow Wallpaper was written as a protest to the way her husband, Dr. Weir Mitchell, and many others treated her when she was going through the hard time. Ms. Gillman also used the story to exploit the way women were thought of and treated during this time. The narrator of the story is bullied and walked over by her husband and brother and is led to insanity. This is a symbol for how Gillman was treated by the people in her life. Gillman wrote this story to prove to the world that this is how women were viewed and treated by men whether it be about their sickness or even something as small their thoughts. The story which was almost unpublishable was a cry for help by Charlotte Perkins Gillman for women across the world to be treated better and thought of in higher esteem. Through the Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gillman was able to protest the treatment of women in the 1800’s and raise awareness for the mental conditions of women. 

At the beginning of “The Yellow Wallpaper” it becomes clear that there is something wrong with the narrator She talks about how her and her family have moved to a huge estate for the summer but she starts the story off by talking about how, “She will proudly declare that there is something queer about it,” (Carolina Reader 299). After, describing the house and how she feels something is off the narrator goes on to talk about how she is not well and her husband does not believe she is sick. She goes on to say that both her husband and brother are doctors of high standing and they both assure people that, “there is nothing really the matter with one but temporary nervous depression,” (Carolina Reader 300). The reader can now assume that the doctor and brother do not listen to the narrator and assume they know what is best for her. Gillman is using the narrator as an example for women across the country at the time and even Gillman herself. This story was written in 1892, women were not thought of, or seen as the way they are today. Men were the ones who decided things for women. The narrator is not thought of by her husband or anyone else as capable of knowing what is wrong with her and this is how women were thought of at the time. 

Although women are now in the medical field in the 1800’s they were not. Paula A. Treichler diagnoses “The Yellow Wallpaper” and reported on every little detail. She brings up the point that the narrator is described by John as having hysteria/depression. In the nineteenth century this was defined as “Women’s Disease” which was when women exhibited symptoms of hysteria, irritability, insomnia, and tendency to cause trouble.  This medical diagnoses is now obsolete in the medical practice but was widely discussed in literature for many years. When the narrator is diagnosed with the hysteria she is forced to follow a routine of self-control and no work. When this did not work she tried to speak out, however, her husband would not listen to her again. This once again proves the fact that men did not think women knew anything and were ignorant to the fact that a woman could know her own body more than a man. Treichler makes the point that in the story John prohibits his wife from writing however, she keeps a secret journal that he does not know about. This raises the point that the story is talking about the relationship between women and language. Treichler goes on to point out that this raises many questions such as “In what senses can language be oppressive to women?” (Escaping the Sentence 62). This is saying that by not letting the narrator write he is not letting her speak. He is taking away her right to speak and think. This is oppressing her and she now can only write and think when John is not around. After, reading the analysis by Treichler it is clear the story is protesting “women’s disease” and the treatment of women by the doctors and men. 

Later, in the story the reader learns that the narrator had given birth before they had come to the house. This leaves the reader to believe that the narrator is suffering from post-partum depression. In the story, John does not let the narrator spend much time with the baby and locks the narrator away in the room. The narrator goes on to talk about how she cries, “I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time,” (Carolina Reader 304). After giving birth it is known that the women’s body goes through many changes and hormones are changing. With changing hormones comes crying. The crying a lot of the time is another symptom of post-partum depression and another hint that the narrator is suffering from it. Another example, of the narrator having ppd is when she talks about how she cannot be with the baby, “And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous.” (Carolina Reader 302). When a woman is suffering from post-partum depression one of the symptoms is that she cannot be around her baby. The crying, the not being able to stand being around the baby, and the depression are all examples the narrator is suffering from post-partum depression. She was suffering from Post-Partum depression and her husband was not treating her properly and would not let her tell him what kind of help she needed, just like many women in the 1800’s.

The article, “The Pinks and Blues” by Linda Beeber is the guide to Post-Partum Depression. In the article, Beeber talks about everything there is to know about ppd: how to treat it, how to spot it, and what exactly it is. Back in the 1800’s when “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written no one knew what post-partum depression was. As previously mentioned the doctors were men and believed the women were just suffering from hysteria. When the women would try to speak out and the men did not listen the women only get worse. In this article she says that post-partum depression is a serious disease that needs to be treated within the first two weeks. The cures include medicine such as drugs and talking to a professional doctor/therapist. It is important that the mother get the helps she needs and women back then did not get this help. Beeber goes on to say that it is important for the family of the mother to be involved and help. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the husband, brother, sister in-law and everyone in her life did not believe her or help her. Without support it is nearly impossible for the mother to get healthy and back to where she needs to be. The narrator of the story did not have support and no one would listen to her and she ended up going insane. Beeber says it is important to listen to the mother because she knows her own body the best. In both the story and real life the doctor would not listen to the patient and when that is the case then the mother will not get better. As Beeber says, “Mothers may be frightened by the symptoms of depressions and some may find it hard to accept that they need help.” (The Pinks and Blues 95). Beeber is saying that some women refuse to admit they have a problem however the narrator is fully admitting she needs help but is being ignored. This is another example of how Gillman used the narrator as an example of women in real life who had to suffer through Post-Partum and not get the help they needed.

Charlotte Perkins Gillman herself suffered from post-partum depression and was given a first person perspective to how the women were treated in the 1800’s. After giving birth to her daughter Gillman she became depressed and her health only became worse when she was around her baby or husband. After struggling with illness she went to see Dr. Weir Mitchell who was convinced that the reason she was sick was due to too much mental activity. Her doctor prohibited her from doing any writing or work. This treatment did not work and caused her to have nervous breakdowns and become insane like the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper”. At some points of her sickness Gillman would crawl into closets or hide under beds and hold onto a doll. After she repeatedly would tell her doctor his treatment was not working and he kept forcing it upon her she started treating herself. She stopped taking part in the rest cure and became better. Perkins then moved and wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper”. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a protest to how doctors and even her own doctor treated women at the time. Gillman wrote the story about her own personal experience and throughout the story there are many similarities between the narrator and Gillman herself. At one point in the story John threatens to send the narrator to Dr. Mitchell who was the doctor Gillman suffered from. Gillman added him to the story so that she could spread her story of how he treated her and how she suffered her entire life from the traumatic events. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was Gillman’s way of protesting how not only her but most women were treated by men during the 1800’s. The women were ignored and treated as if they did not know anything. 

In conclusion, Charlotte Perkins Gillman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper” to argue how women were treated in the 1800’s. Gillman herself had a firsthand experience at suffering through postpartum depression and being ignored by her male doctor who felt she did not know her own body. This experience harmed her for years after as it did many women who suffered through the same thing. The story of “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written off of Gillman’s own experience and the narrator of the story represented Gillman. She wanted to raise awareness to help women get the treatment they deserve. In the 1800’s women were not thought of as equal to men and it was harmful. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was a protest to the treatment of women in the 1800’s and Gillman successfully helped change how women were viewed. 
