A Psychological Review of The Yellow Wallpaper

Mental wellness problems surround each and exclusively person, and it is up to each person to cope in their own ways, in order to reduce the pain that they may feel. Psychological criticisms look at the mind and the behaviors of the characters passim the story. In The white-livered Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the plugger suffers from psychic wellness problems, and not only must cope with this, moreover must also cope with her husband and the environment he has displace her in to facilitate her rehabilitation.Gilman depicts a husband seek to cure his married woman of her depression by letting her rest alone, however, this has the opposite effect by further exacerbating her malady and her psychosis. Her environment, with the yellow cover, enkindle be seen as the reason for this mental decline by looking at her malady, cope styles and the signism throughout the story. Gilman presents the protagonist as a woman whose mental wellness is declining throughout t he entire story, and whose illness has developed into something utmost more serious than it was originally.Depression commode be seen in the narrators human face through journal entries such as, I cry at nothing, I cry at e reallything (491). through with(predicate) the several mentions of a baby, and the narrator as being unable to c atomic number 18 for this baby, it seems as though the madness to which her husband was referring could be due to postpartum depression. Although it makes the unnamed narrator flighty to not be able to take care of the baby, she regulartually sees that it is far better this way, when she says I never thought of it before, moreover it is lucky that stern kept me here after all I domiciliate hold up it so much easier than a baby, you see (489, 492).If the narrators illness began as a case of depression, it certainly develops into something far more serious. by her journal entries, her hallucinations or visualizations of other women in the ye llow wallpaper can be seen. Sometimes I think there are a great many a(prenominal) women hind end, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over, depicts the narrator as seeing women, not only in the wallpaper, but also outside in the garden (495). These hallucinations, along with her bvious preoccupation and neurotic nature towards the yellow wallpaper as the sole topic in her journal entries, can be seen as development into a case of schizophrenia. Freuds theory of the personality being divided into the conscious and the unconscious mind can also be addressed within this story. through and through the language Gilman procedures when the narrator begins to tear down the paper, I pulled and she move. I shook and she pulled (496), the struggle between the conscious and subconscious can be seen.As well, the personification of the wallpaper through this language, such as when she is beginning to countercurrent it down and it enjoys it a nd shrieks (496), can further demonstrate the psychosis to which the narrator is going into. Through Gilmans use of plot and language, it is seen that the narrators mental health is declining every day even if she, or her husband, does not notice it contrasting act styles are used in order to deal with this unembellished mental decline.From a psychological perspective, there are many get by mechanisms that can be used when dealing with mental health problems or issues, and in the story, The sensationalistic Wallpaper, there are different views towards these different act strategies. John, the narrators husband, believes that the narrator, twinge from temporary nervous depression, should be nix to work, while she believes that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me her good (487, 488). in that location are also remnants in the attitudes towards the narrator writing in her journal. For many people, writing or doing other creative activities, can be an resplen dent coping strategy, however, this is not what John thinks as the narrator says he hates to hand over me write a word (489). The unnamed protagonist writes despite the objections to her doing so, as it creates an outlet for her and it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me (490). Through this alone, the difference in coping styles can be seen.There is also a difference in how the husband and wife deal with the wifes illness within themselves. Freud contended that there are many defense mechanisms that humans use to cope with their own problems, such as repression, regression, denial and suppression. Throughout the story, twain the narrator and John use these defense mechanisms. At first, the narrator can be seen as introductioning repression there is no known reason for her to be sick, nor does she tell the readers any reason.John begins to treat his wife like a child of his own, instead of an adult woman, through his overprotective nature and haggle like blessed little goose and little girl (489, 492), which may be an example of regression. Near the end of the story, although the narrator is still suffering from the hallucinations, she expresses denial when she thinks she is feeling so much better (494) and her neurotic obsessions with the wallpaper can be attributed to her suppressing other facets of her life.Both John and his wife display many differences in coping styles when it comes to the narrators mental health problems, and this may prolong the illness the symbolism in the story illustrates the problems that she is trying to cope with. Gilmans use of symbolism throughout the story of The Yellow Wallpaper, depicts the problems that the narrator is trying to cope with. The narrators reaction to the glossiness of the wallpaper can be interpreted as a symbol for her life, with her statement no wonder the children hated it (489) the hideous colored wallpaper being a symbol for her dreary and sad life.The wallpaper is very symbolic, even in ter ms of its design. First, the narrator describes the pattern after she studies the curves as they suddenly commit suicide plunge off in steep angles, destroy themselves in unheard-of contradictions (489) which can symbolize her mental health destroying her and the contradictions she is facing in herself. By night, the pattern becomes bars and the woman behind it is as plain as can be (493). The bars pertain to her feelings of entrapment in the room, the house, in her marriage with her overprotective husband, and even within her life. heretofore the plain woman behind the bars that the narrator sees can be seen as another manifestation of herself. The fact that the author decided to proceed the narrator unnamed, may exemplify these feelings of unimportance or anonymity even further. Ultimately, when the narrator locks herself in the room to tear off the wallpaper yelling, Ive got out at lastand Ive pulled off most of the paper, so you cant put me back (497), symbolizes her pursui t of freedom from the cage in of her life.The symbolism that Gilman conveys throughout the story is a very important fit when looking at the psychology of the protagonist, and the development of her mental health. Mental health problems are clearly evident for the protagonist in the story of The Yellow Wallpaper, and by looking at this illness, coping styles, and at the symbolism throughout the story, the development of these problems can be seen while her husband is putting in his efforts to cure her of this problem by allowing her to rest, he is really worsening the issues. from each one person has different ways of coping with issues that have been thrown at them, and it is up to each individual person to figure out what these coping strategies are, rather than being forced into certain methods. Mental health problems are ubiquitous, and coping styles for these problems are extremely diverse but pain can be reduced, it just takes personal strength.