For almost the entire time she is stuck in the room in The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator expresses a dislike of the wallpaper, but otherwise seems to be working to keep a positive attitude. Obviously, there are naive comments, like “He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me.” (Stetson 652), or “John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I am glad my case is not serious!” (Stetson 649). These thoughts implicitly criticize the treatment of women as helpless and below men during the 1800s. We see the isolation treatment through the woman’s eyes, which helps the audience understand the narratives that were being told to women at the time. Society saw women as second class, and wanted them to see themselves that way too. The woman describes herself as a “burden” (Stetson 649), and explains how she gets “unreasonably angry with John sometimes” (Stetson 648). She has been conditioned to believe in her husband’s authority, even though he clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

What strikes me about The Yellow Wallpaper is how fast the narration turns from upbeat and somewhat rational to the opposite. The woman decides that there is another woman in the walls, and she states it casually and moves on. The last couple of pages are devoted to this delusion. I think that her quick descent into madness is an effective shock tactic, as it illustrates how the isolation treatment is not only ineffective, but can only be maintained for so long until a person cracks. Twenty first century audiences can easily understand how keeping someone in a room and having them not think or do anything for days on end is ridiculous. I am not surprised, however, that this story was effective in opening the eyes of people at the time, who actually believed in and prescribed the treatment.