Yellow Wallpaper Symbolism

Daniel S. Avis

Yellow Wallpaper is a short story about a woman who goes crazy. This woman is supposed to be a modern woman in the 19^th century. Her husband and her move to the country and she becomes isolated in this new house of hers. Though out the story she is constantly thinking and writing down her thoughts in a journal, which she isn't supposed to be writing-in in the first place. In her writing, there are several symbols used to show the struggle against male dominate society. Like the yellow wallpaper, and the two windows the narrator occasionally looks out of.

            The yellow wallpaper in this short story is a symbol of her mysterious illness she has. Her husband, whose name is John, and moves her out into the country, apparently because of her illness, saying the fresh air would be good for her illness. She gets put into a nursery, in the top part of the new house, with yellow wallpaper. She describes the yellow wallpaper as “The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.” The narrator is saying the equality for women to man is “hideous,” and the words “unreliable,” “unreliable,” “infuriating,” and “torturing” are descriptions of the feelings of women in the 19^th century society. The narrator in restricted by her brother and husband to not do any work at all. This is a deeper meaning than just plain physical work; this is implying that she can’t do any intellectual or independent interactions with public. Because her husband doesn’t want her to talk to another men, and women about women’s equality. Later the narrator says “Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good,” she is stating her opinion that if women worked and where consider equals, that women would be better for it. So, now she is getting more outspoken about the symbolism in her writing.

            In this short story the narrator talks about looking out two windows and imaging things. This represents the possibilities that women can do without restriction from man. The narrator says “lovely view of the bay,” the day represents the uncharted places that women haven’t seen or done because of man. The narrator also says “John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least,” this is an obvious of the male coming over the female and telling her what to do and giving her restrictions. So the windows in a representation of the woman’s mind charging and becoming independent from man, no longer restricted by man’s rules.

            In the short story Yellow Wallpaper there are a lot of symbols of women thinking independently, and women trying to escape from under nether man. The wallpaper was her so called “illness,” which was her brother and husband saying, you are stepping out of place, and we are going to confine you to a room so it doesn't spread. The two windows where her imagination going wild and discovering the possibility that women could accomplish. There are more subtle symbol of the narrator outspoken mind, but the purpose behind this story is that women is trapped behind man, and this women is speaking out in her writing.