The Yellow Wallpaper
the yellow wallpaper
Is the narrator self-fulfilled? What are two pieces of evidence from the text that support your response?
Is the narrator self-fulfilled? What are two pieces of evidence from the text that support your response?
The narrator is feeling oppressed, abused, and depressed. She is not feeling fulfilled. Throughout the story, Gilman presents the domestic sphere as a prison for the narrator. Just as the woman in the wallpaper is trapped behind a symbol of the feminine domestic sphere, the narrator is trapped within the prison-like nursery. The nursery is itself a symbol of the narrator’s oppression as a constant reminder of her duty to clean the house and take care of the children. The numerous barred windows and immovable bed also suggest a more malignant use for the nursery in the past, perhaps as a room used to house an insane person. The narrator's sense of being watched by the wallpaper accentuates the idea of the room as a surveillance-friendly prison cell.