The Yellow Wallpaper has pushed me to the max. With higher language, sub plots, and the amount of deep thinking that is needed for this story to make an ounce of sense, Charlotte Gilman is a literary genius. But I feel as though I understand. The wallpaper,
symbolizes society itself. The stripes, or bars, are the "emotional and psychological restraines" society has on women. The "great many women behind, sometimes just one.." (Gilman, 9), symbolize the many women, including Gilman herself, fighting for equal rights. Even the color yellow itself could very well have a double meaning. And I believe I know what it is. Society is a coward. Have you ever heard of the old saying "yellow belly"? Well it simply means cowardly, or afraid. Now I know, this might not make sense. So let me explain my theory. Society, or the "wallpaper", is trapping the woman (Gilman) or women (the many women fighting for women's rights) with the "stripes" on the wallpaper or "bars" on the windows of the house and Janes own bed. Society, "the wallpaper" is yellow, or "cowardly" to the idea of women's rights because maybe, women will over power the men. Or for some odd reason, this change is just not excepted. Society is afraid of change;
"Yellow Wallpaper". Gilman becomes obsessed with the wallpaper, society. She does not want John to take her wallpaper away. She does not want anyone else to figure it out. "I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself!" (Gilman, 8). Could this mean Gilman did not want anyone else to help women gain rights but herself? "Her only fear was that she would not accomplish her lifetimes work." (An Autobiography of Emotions, 4). Nearing the end of the story, she tears the stripes out, "freeing the woman(en)". Could Gilman be saying through symbolism that tearing down the wallpaper is like abolishing the sexist bases of society in that time to say that one day women will be "free"?
http://dictionary.reference.com
This website was used to find out meanings for: abolish, symbolism, and sexism.
http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/
This website can be used to learn more information about the Women's Rights Movement.
Definition:
Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Symbols are objects that represent, stand for, or suggest an idea, belief, or action.
I never thought of it like that. I thought about the stripes holding women back within society. I never thought that yellow represented a coward. You are on to something, how men may have been afraid of women taking over, or society being scared of change.
ReplyDeleteI never saw the wallpaper as society itself. Very interesting. You supported your whole blog with many supportive details and explained your reasoning very well. Although the title is not very creative, your blog was very good.
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