Oppression, Repression, and Madness in Thesis

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John is completely blind to his wife's needs. In fact, he is being completely selfish in this situation because he is placing himself over his wife's needs. This fact, on top of everything else, allows us to see how easily oppression could transform into anger.

Oppression, repression, and rage emerge as important aspects of "The Yellow Wallpaper." The narrator in this story represents countless women who suffered at the hands of uninterested and uneducated doctors. The story follows the course of madness through stages and reveals the delicate workings of the human psyche. Survival is an instinctive characteristic and the narrator does what she can to preserve herself before going over the edge. Gilman demonstrates the yearning for independence in a rather hopeless situation and, as a result, emphasizes the need for understanding before medication. In addition, she also demonstrates how doctors do not always know best. Perhaps one of the most compelling pieces of writing regarding "the Yellow Wallpaper" is Gilman's essay, "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" In this short piece, Gilman admits to suffering from a "severe and continuous nervous breakdown" (Gilman). She admits to experiencing this for about three years before seeking the help of a professional. This physician, the "best known in the country" (Gilman), told her nothing was wrong with her and recommended bed rest. Gilman attempted this regimen for approximately three months before coming "so near the border line of utter mental ruin that I could see over" (Gilman).

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This woman had to save herself. She had to go against what the doctors were telling her and do what she felt was necessary for her to survive. Gilman did recover from her illness but it was not from the assistance of helpful doctors. "The Yellow Wallpaper" demonstrates the helplessness and alienation women felt when they were "treatment" was worse than their condition. When Johnson suggests rage, we can see it emerging through the narrator's behavior in tiny pieces, or segments, of a "fit" of tearing the paper from the wall. Rage gives way to madness in this story. As much as the narrator attempts to free herself, she is unable to do so within the same four walls. She literally scratches herself free. Her story serves as a warning for those who refuse to take seriously the requests and needs of others. More than anything, "The Yellow Wallpaper" represents a time in history when women were neglected and terribly mistreated as a result of a lack of concern.

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