Subjects:
Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents in the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” a narrator of dubious identity. If a reader infers that the reference at the end of the story to “Jane” is indeed self-reflexive, a dichotomy between the Jane of which she speaks and the character who creeps about the room becomes apparent. This division within the single heroine can be best understood when viewed as such: within this nameless speaker are in fact two women, and as the actions of one recede the other becomes dominant. Indeed, the reader sees two separate identities, or selves, within the narrator’s captive body: the proper-Jane persona, the suitably-named, dutiful and lucid wife of Dr. John; and the nameless, savage and hysterical woman, a reflection of whom the raconteur sees lurking behind the wallpaper’s exterior pattern. As proper-Jane’s affectations dissipate, those of her unsociable doppelganger fluidly fill in the gaps in the speaker’s psyche.
The protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper” provides the reader with very few concrete details of her person. She is a woman: mother, daughter, sister, cousin, sister-in-law and physician’s wif
. . .
Once her names are stripped from her, the protagonist is left with no concise description of her personal identity. The trademark of a gentlewoman, her good name—upon which relies her reputation—is the first casualty of the speaker’s progression into her second self.
Due to the customs of the narrator’s 19th century patriarchal society, her surname (which, of course, was her father’s) was taken from her at marriage. She attempts to give a name to her developing condition, her emerging self, and is halted mid-sentence by John. Yet, the contrary is also validated within the text—the heroine locks the door so as not to be seen as she creeps , just as the reader is certain that the proper-Jane persona has been usurped by this nameless and hysterical spirit. She at times creeps about during the daytime, an action she admits is hardly commonplace. She is—if one were to attempt a succinct moniker—Mrs. cars, boats and estates) are given proper names. The literal truth is undeniable in both cases: despite the surreptitiousness of the Mrs. “I suppose I’ll have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard!” she continues. The narrator also adopts a cynical and distrustful stance regarding John and her sister-in-law Jennie (“It does not do to trust people too much” ), an attitude that certainly does not befit a naïve and delicate gentlewoman of the time. So while this partial loss of legal identity may be a factor in the speaker’s transition of self, it is not an injury exclusive to this story’s heroine. To relinquish from the protagonist her name is to effect a form of debasement, and to place her beneath even a favorite dog.
Essay's Topics
All research is for reference purposes only.