“THE YELLOW WALLPAPER”: MENTAL ILLNESS AND ITS TREATMENTS Postpartum depression is defined as, “a mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth… [and can cause] feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others.” Today postpartum depression is a mental illness that is widely known, but in the late 1800’s when Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper,” postpartum depression was
with more than simple insanity, realizing that the machine-inspired overworking culture of America was already full steam and driving men into the ground through mental exhaustion. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville touch on these issues and expand on how mental issues may affect others. The characters of both stories go through a mental decline, and Gilman and Melville implement point of view, symbolism, and their time period between
The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a short story which portrays a very common view of nineteenth century culture and medicine. The story, written in classical fiction form, has a plot, setting, a cast of characters, and a point of view from which the story is told. The way in which the story is told, and the unexpected conclusion, are two of the main reasons why “The Yellow Wallpaper” is such an important piece of nineteenth century fiction. There are few characters in
and Editha mourns this loss; however, she never comprehends her role in his death. “The Yellow Wall-paper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is told by journal entries of a nameless woman. The narrator suffers from postpartum depression and is isolated in the attic of a country house. She becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room and her minor illness turns to insanity. “Editha” and “The Yellow Wall-paper” both show the danger of gender stereotyping; each protagonist is marginalized