Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 gothic short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” follows the story of a new mother who is struggling with post-partum depression during a time where mental illnesses were not fully understood. Post-partum depression is a state of sadness and disconnect that many mothers experience starting one to two weeks after the birth of a child (Harkness). The narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” recently gave birth, feels a serious disconnect between her newborn, and is prescribed to a commonly known treatment. In the late 1800’s, neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell developed “The Resting Cure” as a treatment for women struggling with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. The treatment consisted of a two-month isolation period during which patients were fed, cleaned, changed, and prohibited from doing any form of physical or mental work ("Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine."). Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s use of first-person point of view, repetition, and depiction of the narrator’s relationship with her husband accurately portrays the negative effects of the resting cure on women with mental illnesses in the 1800’s.

Gilman’s use of first person point of view allows the reader to step foot in the narrator’s shoes and recognize her gradual decline into insanity. The narrator is left completely alone in a room plastered with captivating yellow wallpaper, which she eventually becomes obsessed with. The narrator is constantly observing the wallpaper and admits, “I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of a conclusion” (Gilman, 304). This is one of the first clues that her condition is worsening. She honestly believes that there is a hidden meaning behind the wallpaper’s pattern, but realistically it is only paper glued to a wall. Not only does she believe there is a hidden meaning, she is determined to find where it begins. Evidently, the narrator’s condition furthers, because she believes, “There are things in that paper nobody knows but me…a woman [is] stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern.” (Gilman 305). This thought implies that the narrator feels trapped behind the wallpaper, because of her seclusion from the outside world. Later, the narrator explains that, “I think that woman gets out in the daytime…I’ve seen her” (Gilman 309). This reveals how truly insane the woman is becoming. She has seen the woman in the wallpaper, but here she even admits that she believes she has seen the woman escape from the wallpaper, practically admitting that she is hallucinating. The narrator goes on to talk about how the woman is always creeping during the daytime, much like her, which further implies that she sees herself as the woman behind the wallpaper.  Furthermore, the wallpaper drives the narrator so insane that, when she was resting, she “got up softly and went to feel and see if the paper did move” (Gilman 306). The narrator has been bored and alone in the room for so long that she begins to hallucinate. The movement that she imagines within the wallpaper seems so real to her that she must touch it. She convinces herself that the people inside the wallpaper move, perhaps because she hasn’t felt or seen real movement in so long.  It was not rare for patients of the resting cure to develop worsening conditions, because they were isolated from all social and physical interactions (Science Museum). Gilman’s use of this perspective reveals how the resting cure essentially caused this particular patient’s condition to spiral downward, seeing as she is slowly slipping into madness. 

Throughout her short story, Gilman repeats the phrase “And what can one do?” numerous times to reveal the helplessness of many patients of the resting cure during the late 1800’s. The narrator admits that her husband “does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?” (Gilman 299). Although the narrator feels a disconnect and fear of her child, her husband, who is a physician, refuses to believe she is suffering. He even says that his wife will be as sick as she wants to be, admitting that he believes the illness is mostly in her head. This is an accurate depiction of how misunderstood and suppressed mental illnesses, such as post-partum depression, were in the late 1800’s, because the narrator even convinces herself she is not. Later in the story, the narrator complains, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband assures friends and relatives that there is nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression- a slight hysterical tendency- what is one to do?” (Gilman 300). Furthermore, even physicians during this time period belittled mental disorders, considering them minor tendencies of many women. Women struggling with mental illnesses were helpless at this time, because they were seen as weak and nervous. The narrator admits, “I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do?” (Gilman 300). Even the narrator, in her vulnerable and depressed state, understands that the resting cure is not successful. Many women who were treated for mental illnesses during this time saw the same issue with their treatment, that isolation and rest would only worsen their condition.

Gilman’s depiction of the relationship between the narrator and her husband, John, proves how mistreated women with mental illnesses were in the late 1800’s.  The narrator is evidently struggling with anxiety and post-partum depression, but wonders, “I suppose John never was nervous in his life. He laughs at me so about this wallpaper” (Gilman 302). Instead of supporting and sympathizing for his wife, John laughs at her hallucinations, showing his lack of understanding. He does not take her illness seriously, but instead laughs at her as if she is an innocent child, not his helpless and suffering wife. As John is carrying the narrator upstairs, she explains that “he took me in his arms and called me a blessed little goose” (Gilman 302).The way John speaks to his wife is similar to the way adults talk to children, using silly, simple, and playful words such as “goose.” Furthermore, John is comparing the narrator to the goose, an animal that is often looked down upon, because it barely does anything. Later, the narrator explains that once again “John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read to me till it tired my head” (Gilman 305). John essentially tucks his wife in and reads her a bedtime story, something commonly done for young children. Overall, instead of treating the narrator as his sick wife, he treats her like a helpless child.  The resting cure called for a nurse to do practically everything for the patient, essentially treating them as a child (Science). Consequently, the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is babied by her husband instead of being part of a normal marriage. Gilman’s portrayal of this abnormal marriage reveals the lack of support and understanding people had for mental illnesses in the 1800’s. 

Researchers and physicians have begun to understand more about mental illnesses recently, prescribing medicine and certain treatments in order to help those who struggle with diseases such as depression and anxiety. In the 1800’s, however, mental illnesses were widely misunderstood and it was believed that women who struggled with them needed to be secluded from the world, both socially and physically. Charlotte Perkins Gilman writes about this treatment, known as the resting cure, in her 1892 short story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator struggles with post-partum depression, in which she doesn’t feel a connection with her newborn child. This is a common illness that effects 50% to 80% of women who have conceived (Harkness). Although this is a huge number, post-partum was misunderstood and women, like the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” who struggled with it were often seen as weak during the 1800’sPerkins reveals how this treatment actually caused many patients’ conditions to worsen through her use of first person point of view, portrays the helplessness of patients through her repetition of the phrase “What is one to do?”, and shows how mistreated women with mental illnesses were through the depiction of the narrator’s marriage. Overall, the understanding and treatments of mental illnesses have developed greatly in the past century, which is important for the health of our country. 
