The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis Essays - Fiction, Literature, Arts

The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis Essays - Fiction, Literature, Arts The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis Charlotte Perkins Stetson is a well-known American author that channels her own battle with postpartum depression in her non-fictional novel "The Yellow Wallpaper". Stetson uses a combination of feminism, symbolism, metaphors, irony, and imagery to illustrate issues that woman face in society. The types of irony that can be found in the novel are Verbal, Dramatic, and Situational. The Use of such literary devices adds to the gothic and mystical mood of the novel. In This article, a series of themes are conveyed through the use literary devices. When literary devices are used throughout a novel the author leaves more room for interpretation. Perkin's Novel influences the reader to ponder on the oppression, misunderstanding, and objectification of women. From the oppressive point of view, it can be said that women in society are viewed as less than Men and at the time weren't given the opportunity to make decisions for themselves Throughout the novel it is apparent for one to see that the main character is undergoing a mental breakdown. The mental breakdown that the reader may assume she may be dealing with in the novel is postpartum depression. In the novel, the main character that goes unnamed says " that There's one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper."(pg.652) So, one interpretation that can be made from this sentence is that the main character has a newborn baby that her husband is not allowing her to take care of. It can be said that her husband's treatment toward is more damaging to her than beneficial. Because she is a woman battling a mental illness, and her husband is a physician, her husband tends to be controlling. The author of the novel does not direc tly say everything that happens in the story but the director leaves room for interpretation of the literary devices used to enhance the story. From the oppressive point of view, it can be said that women in society are viewed as less than Men and at the time weren't given the opportunity to make decisions for themselves. The imagery that was given by the author was a representation of her feeling imprisoned in a place that she was supposed to feel at home. For example, in the passage, she goes into explaining the life outside of her window in the midst of the storm she finds a break in the sky and of new life around her. " The storm can be interpreted as living under the control of her husband and the light and new life could foreshadow her life without her husband and in her right mind. Stetson conveyed the lack of understanding of mental illness and the need for the woman to be okay all the time. In the novel, the protagonist would try to convey her emotions to the nanny and her husband they would dismiss her as if his word was the only one that counted. "Can you not trust me as a physician when I tell you so? " (Stetson 652) the narrator she would say nothing. Women are not property and not only in that era but today's era women are taught to be silent about their issues and that things need to be handled by the man. He thought she was crazy for voicing her opinion. The irony in this comes in because though her husband wanted to help her he was the antagonist because of his treatment. The main character found herself metaphorically trapped behind wallpaper and when that wallpaper comes down which may be interpreted as the box in her mind he could be free. The wall paper could symbolize a cage and this cage and out side this cage she may see freedom from not onl y that room but the rules of her husband. Another message that can be received from the passage is that can be received is objectifying of women. The author uses a very gothic tone to describe the "ghost" that haunts the narrator. "I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure" (Stetson 650) The ghost may be interpreted as her own thoughts but the