The beginning of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is really frustrating to read (most of it is frustrating to read as a woman, but I figured I’d start at the beginning). When Stetson first comes down with her “nerves” she writes off her own ability to do what is best for her and how she actually feels. She says that she disagrees with their ideas, “that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do [her] good,” but what is she to do (648)? Stetson is expected to blindly trust that her husband and brother know more about what she needs than she does. Furthermore, if she did not trust the men in her life and value their opinions she would feel “ungrateful not to value it more” (648). It is obvious that she, like many women throughout history as we know, was taught to stifle her own opinion even when, if not especially when, it came to her body.
The yellow wallpaper as a symbol for her disintegrating mental state is super interesting. Like everyone’s mental health, the wallpaper just hovered and watched over Stetson for weeks impeding on her life and her “rest”. Instead of being allowed to manage her mental health with people’s company, or her hobbies, or anything at all, Stetson was overcome by the complexity of her mental health. This story served as a warning to many females and doctors that the “rest-cure treatment” was not actually helpful at all. I think in today’s context this story would serve as a prime example of the importance of proactively taking care of your mental health and seeking the right kind of help. In a modern context, we no longer practice “rest-cures” on “nervous” women with extreme frequency, but we do still belittle women’s pain and experiences with health issues. “The Yellow Wallpaper” can still be a lesson to show that women really do know best when it comes to their health and the only outcome of doubting they know best is making matters worse for everyone– especially the women.
I think its interesting that you focused so much on the medical side of this story! I definitely did not, and I think I missed some key literary elements because of it. I interpreted the wallpaper to signify her oppression through domestic life, but now I think it could be a mixture of both: the wallpaper symbolizes her mental state because of her married life. This would explain how even when she is out of the house, the smell and the color follow her everywhere. And at the end, she has so little of her own identity that she needs the yellow wallpaper to give her life meaning. It’s quite a tragedy, but your analysis really helped me get more out of the story!
The message about women’s mental health as portrayed by The Yellow Wallpaper was really important. Women are portrayed as weak and emotional and irrational. This is always problematic, but it is especially in medicine when women are not taken seriously and there is not enough research with female participants to know what the warning signs of many illnesses look like in men versus women (such as strokes). And for women of color, there is even less research.
I like your interpretation because it shows how the same material can be used to demonstrate multiple ideas. I had been looking at the story through the lens of criticizing rest cures, but the symbolism of the wall as a person’s mental health calls attention to stigmas and misconceptions that we face in our present world. The content caters to audiences from the 1800s as well as present day, because present audiences have the ability to interpret the narrative to fit our current world.
I agree that this is a great example to show that you need to address your mental health. Mental health is not something that should be put to the side as it impacts your life. And I think this story could be used as a wake up call for some individuals.