Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is one of the famous short stories of 19^th century, which is considered as the most popular peace of feminist literature which deals with both the mental and physical attitude of women at that time. The entire story revolves around the life story of young women at that time. Here, the author has used the conventions of the psychological horror tale to present the position of women in the institution namely marriage (Dosani). This story gas showed practice of upper class society towards marriage. The subordination of women in the marriage is the main theme of the story. The story manifests the role of gender division in order to keep the women in the state of childish ignorance. The theme itself manifests the fact that, the women are only entitled to play the domestic role and they are only the secondary citizens. According to Gilman a conflicting theme can be found in the story. In the passage “if a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?

So I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again.
Personally, I disagree with their ideas”- an extreme conflict can be seen. This passage appears at the introduction of the story and highlights the dilemma of the narrator. The inclusion of the powerful voice of the protagonist, the family and the medical setting of the protagonist have acted as the driving force behind him to be passive (Malinowsk). On the other hand, the protagonist’s own conviction is totally opposite, which is activity and stimulation. Still, her opinion is the matter of no importance in the family, which in turn is hampering her mental wellbeing. From the statement, it is evident that she is reluctant to her treatment, still she is unable to change situation.

References:

Amro, Hiba. “A Breakdown or a Breakthrough?:“Madness” in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Doris Lessing’s “To Room Nineteen,” and Khairiya Saqqaf’s “In a Contemporary House”.” International Journal 6.2 (2018): 146-156.

Dosani, Sabina. “The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: a gothic story of postnatal psychosis–psychiatry in literature.” The British Journal of Psychiatry 213.1 (2018): 411-411.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The yellow wallpaper and other writings. Gibbs Smith, 2019.

Malinowska, Agnes. “Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Fungal Female Animal: Evolution, Efficiency, and the Reproductive Body.” Modernism/modernity 26.2 (2019): 267-288.