Imagery and Symbolism in the Yellow Wallpaper - 764 Words

On my first reading of Charlotte Perkins Gilman s The Yellow Wallpaper, I found the short story extremely well done and the author, successful at getting her idea across. Gilman s use of imagery and symbolism only adds to the reality of the nameless main character s sheltered life and slow progression into insanity or some might say, out of insanity. The short story is written in first person and it is from our nameless character s writing s that we are introduced to her world and her life. It is through this that we see our main characters transition into a world that only she has access to. She changes dramatically from our first meeting while everyone else stays very flat and unaffected. This method is very effective in†¦show more content†¦It is the wallpaper, alive and a character in itself, that charges our main character s mind and helps her break free from the dull and husband driven life she has been living. The wallpaper itself, so marvelously described, becomes our storyteller s best enemy and best friend. More like a mirror, this yellow consuming wallpaper reflects what our main character is really going through and feeling and the woman that stirs and creeps within the wall is literally herself which is found out by us, the readers, when the housekeeper mentions the yellow stains on all of her clothes. She wants to tear the confining wallpaper down that holds this imaginary woman in just as she wants to tear the confining way of life her husband has chosen for her. The story continues to progress as she deconstructs and analyses the wallpaper until the climax when our main character locks herself in the yellow room to finally tear all of the wallpaper down so that the woman can never be put back and imprisoned forever. The story concludes with her husband fainting, and our main character creeping and paying him no concern at all except that once again he is in her way but this time, not able to stop her voyage along the wall and for the rest of her life. For some, this insanity seems without reason, but it is a long and overdue release ofShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1472 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892, is a great example of early works pertaining to feminism and the disease of insanity. Charlotte Gilman’s own struggles as a woman, mother, and wife shine through in this short story capturing the haunting realism of a mental breakdown.The main character, much like Gilman herself, slips into bouts of depression after the birth of her child and is prescribed a ‘rest cure’ to relieve the young woman of her suffering. Any use of theRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Charlotte Perkins Gilman1700 Words   |  7 PagesIn literature, there are many different components that create a timeless and classic text, such as personification, imagery, or symbolism. In some texts an author uses overbearing amounts of imagery to giv e us a vivid description of what is happening in the story, in others an author may give very little visual details, but instead incorporate countless allusions to help the reader better understand their story by alluding other popular works. Through the use of themes and symbols, however, an authorRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman1099 Words   |  5 PagesThe Yellow Wallpaper, has an autobiographical element to it. It was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The piece of work concentrates on many different aspects of literature. The Yellow Wallpaper, has an autobiographical element to it. It was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. 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The authors’ use of point of view, symbolism, and imagery are different but still convey the same basic idea. Both stories cover the theme of marriage and share the idea that marriage is oppressive. The stories focus on two wives desperate to break from the control of their husbands. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† the woman’s husband is a doctor therefore he believes heRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1205 Words   |  5 PagesCharlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, written in 1892, is a short story told from the perspective of a woman believed to be â€Å"crazy†. The narrator believes her craziness to be a form of sickness. However, the narrator’s husband, John, believes her to be suffering from a temporary nervous depression. As the narrator’s condition worsens, she begins to see a woman moving from behind the yellow wallpaper in their bedroom. The wallpaper captures the narrator’s attention and as a result drivesRead More The Yellow Wallpaper1466 Words   |  6 Pagessurrounding. Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† was first published in 1892, about a white middle -class woman who was confined to an upstairs room by her husband and doctor, the room’s wallpaper imprisons her and as well as liberates herself when she tears the wallpaper off at the end of the story. On the other hand, Crane’s 1893 Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is the realist account of a New York girl and her trials of growing up with an alcoholic mother and slum life world. The imagery in Charlotte PerkinsRead MoreHumble Items that Trap a Woman Essay1569 Words   |  7 PagesHumble Items That Trap a Woman Author Charlotte P. Gilman’s, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a complex short story that discusses the thoughts and feelings of a woman who is kept confined in a small upstairs bedroom by her husband. The woman suffers from depression and anxiety, yet her spouse whom is a physician claims that she is not terribly ill. Despite all the strange thoughts she acquires, she continues to force herself to accept her new life style and awkward place of living. As she comes to findRead MoreSymbolism Of A Street Car Named Desire And The Yellow Wallpaper1487 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism of One’s True Nature in A Street Car Named Desire and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† What is humanity s true nature? Are people basically good, or basically evil? Over the centuries, many people have tried to find the answers to these questions, to no avail. Author Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Tennessee Williams take a definite stance on the issues throughout their work, arguing that people are basically evil hiding their truths. Many times, this theme is obviously stated in the stories, but sometimes