“The Yellow Wallpaper”, written by Charlotte Perkin Gilman in the late 1800’s, centers its attention around a troubled woman who has no place to go. The woman, whom may be named Jane, tells the story from her perspective to allow the reader to get a more in depth look at what she is going through and the way she deals with life around her. At first she turns to her husband, John. John is a physician and as her partner he sets aside the belief of her illness as simply just a “temporary nervous depression” (300). Johns way of treating her illness is to separate her completely from all contact with anyone, except for himself and his sister. The author states her views strongly by writing powerfully about the roles of men and women during this time, the arguments between mental illness and physical disorder, and the idea of self-determination in insanity in her elegantly written short story. By centering the attention on Johns control over the women, Gillman portrays that an unsettled mind, with nowhere to go has no security and therefore must withdraw back to the place where no one else can go. 

To fully comprehend the roles of men and women in story, we must first recognize the time period in which Gillman is writing. The late 1800’s was during the time period in which men prevailed superiority in society. Sadly, a women’s role in society was far less important than men. This was also a time where women did not protect or speak up for their own ideas or views by going against their male peer’s, despite how close or comfortable that they may have been to one another. The woman narrating the story notices this sad truth in several different ways right as the story begins. She states, in the beginning lines, “he laughs at me so about this wallpaper” (302). John just laughs when his wife says she is nervous at the wallpaper and does not respect her feelings. This proves that she realizes her stance in society and the fact that men viewed women as purposeless, foolish, and unimportant people. 

Since Gillman is displaying John as the typical model of a man during this time period, we as readers are able to see the hidden results on the woman’s mind. John explains to his wife that she is making up “silly fancies” (305) in her head and that she is only putting herself at risk. John informs her that she is in no jeopardy. He makes it seem as if he is trying to help her, but when she disagrees with him he looks at her with such a reproachful look that she cannot say another word. This allows us to believe that John does not consider her feelings at all because he is convinced that he knows how to cure her illness. He also constantly shows signs of his dominance over her by calling her things like “little girl” (306). The woman is always asking to have company, but the answer is always no. John makes it seem like she does not respect anything he is doing for her and she continually begins to have a sense of guilt. He treats and talks to his wife like she is his kid and not his companion. In essence, John makes his wife perceive herself as clueless in the sense that she cannot do anything herself. He takes all care from her, and so she feels basely ungrateful not to value it more.

Gillman poses the question whether or not there is a difference between mental illness and physical disorder. Again, relating back to the time period of the late 1800’s, doctors believed that mental illness was not a real thing because it could not be seen and put into levels. Similarly, in the story John does not believe that his wife is sick and he tells her that she is in no danger. He takes into no consideration his wife’s feelings about her problem, and does not care what she thinks. He is the “doctor”, the expert, so he knows the issue best. From the moment John secluded his wife and puts her in isolation to think on her thoughts, she is completely aware that this therapy will not treat her illness correctly. She thinks to herself thoughts of less “objection” by John and wishes she had more say in her problem, but John does not approve. 

Due to complete isolation from the world, the woman concludes that she must now begin to find her own freedom through her madness. It begins to reach a low point where the narrator has to start to hide her illness in order for John to stop worrying about her. This will also lead to tricking John to believe that she is starting to heal. As time starts to pass and the days start to become long, the woman feels very alone. This loneliness begins to lead to complete insanity. She starts discovering the yellow wallpaper in her room to have many different patterns and is trying to put all these patterns together. According to the woman someone behind the wallpaper is trying to escape. John is compared to the “top pattern” (308) of the wallpaper, as he is keeping the women behind it trapped. Gillman writes, “In every bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard” (309). This connects directly to the actions of the women earlier in the story when she consciously hides her illness from John; hence the bright spots where he can see her. When John cannot see her, quoted the “shady spots” she just goes insane. John is the wallpaper and he is keeping the narrator trapped inside it. At this point there is no escaping. The narrator truly believes the thought that she is the woman behind the wallpaper and that she has finally set herself free. Due to her nervousness and craziness she locks herself in the room and throws the key away. The fact that she tossed the key allows readers to interpret that she has finally escaped this mental illness, and no one will ever be able to change that. The key is now gone, so there is no way inside her mind. 

In conclusion, due to her inferior rank in society, and John’s medical experience, she had no other decision than to become self-determined and find her own independence. By going insane she “got out at last” from John’s restraint on her, and from anyone who doubted the idea that she had a disorder. The narrator was at last free and was now able to live her own life, and make her own decisions. She claims that it is so satisfying out in the room and to move around freely. She has finally found her private place, and no one will ever find their way inside.