weekend homework question 2

Biographical, Historical, and New Historical Criticism Perspective

Upon reading the biographical information on Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the reader discovers that like the main character in the story, Charlotte suffered from depression and was prescribed a rest cure by the doctor. She states that during her period of rest, she “came so near the border line of utter mental ruin that I could see over” (329). Just as she descended toward the pit of madness, Gilman pushes her character near the shores of insanity, yet she scripts her protagonist to go completely insane, whereas Gilman herself was able to overcome her mental setbacks. From her bed rest experience she wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and sent a copy to the physician who proscribed her “cure”.

A historical background of the time period further reveals some of the topics discussed in the story. When “The Yellow Wallpaper” was published in 1892, the role of women in society was drastically different than today. During this time period, middle and upper class women suffered from severe bouts of depression, and were usually prescribed to lengthy terms of bed rest. The result was that the women became passive and completely subservient to their husbands and other male figures in their lives. This corresponds with the heroine in Gilman’s story who states, “I lie down ever so much now. John says it is good for me, and to sleep all I can” (line 152). Though the heroine believes that some mental or physical exercise will help her condition, she does not have the strength of character to disobey her husband to that extreme. In the end, it was the lack of mental fortitude seen so often during that time period that led the heroine to her final plunge into madness.