The role that gender plays in this short story is very evident. It seems that the narrator has been put into some kind of mental institution and struggles to find her identity, while explaining how much she hates her room. It seems that after having her child the narrator was admitted to an institution of some kind because of depression. While, John her husband says that she is fine, and that she will be back to normal soon, the narrator obviously is not okay. The idea that a woman is dependent on a man is evident, “John is a physician, and perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)—perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster. You see, he does not believe I am sick!” The idea of male superiority shows in John’s actions, because instead of listening to the narrator’s problems, he doesn’t believe her. Meanwhile, the narrator has given up trying to convince people otherwise, “And what can one do? If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?”
Towards the end of the story though the narrator begins to become more defiant of these gender stereotypes. She doesn’t always listen to what John says becoming more and more defiant as the story continues. Until the very end of the story when she finally breaks out of her shell. She was able to pull off all of the wallpaper that made her so unhappy. While admiring the wall she writes, “I quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again.” This signifies how she has broken out of the shell that she was in, and is now able to defy John and become her own person. This continues until she locks everyone out of the room and is by herself contemplating how to escape. Finally, she says, “I’ve got out at last,” said I, “in spite of you and Jane! And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!” This is the final stage in her evolution, because the narrator has fully escaped the grips that John has kept her in, and she now feels free for the first time.
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