The Yellow Wallpaper Madness
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- Category: English: Novels
- Date Submitted: 12/03/2015 04:33 AM
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An Exposed Madness: A Close Relation Between the Madness and the Writing in The Yellow Wallpaper
"There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will." (92) The Yellow Wallpaper portrays this woman trapped in her own madness, resting by force because of her husband, seeing people through a hideous yellow wallpaper. This novel written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is not just a horror story, it demonstrates how madness evolves and destroys someone. Furthermore, the writing is important and determinant for the reader because it alters the way of perceiving the story. Gilman managed, using a first person narrator and an internal focalisation, to show the madness growing in the narrator's head, making her less reliable and exteriorizing through her a need of self-expression.
The internal focalisation and the first person narrator are an opening door for the reader to the protagonist's troubled mind in order the emphasize the madness growing in her. The reader get access to every thoughts and every feels, and it is easy to understand the state of the character. And as the reader get to know her, he can see the madness which is destroying her and evolving in her mind. Firstly, there are complete phrases and clear thoughts, but as the story goes on, the reader can see that she becomes more unclear, so he does not really understand her anymore. So for instance at the beginning she says “I am glad my case is not serious! But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him. Of course it is only nervousness. It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any ways!” (88-89), here she seems still pretty clear and is more or less aware of her state. At the end of the story by contrast she says “Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the patterns just enjoys it! All those strangles heads and bulbous...
"There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will." (92) The Yellow Wallpaper portrays this woman trapped in her own madness, resting by force because of her husband, seeing people through a hideous yellow wallpaper. This novel written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is not just a horror story, it demonstrates how madness evolves and destroys someone. Furthermore, the writing is important and determinant for the reader because it alters the way of perceiving the story. Gilman managed, using a first person narrator and an internal focalisation, to show the madness growing in the narrator's head, making her less reliable and exteriorizing through her a need of self-expression.
The internal focalisation and the first person narrator are an opening door for the reader to the protagonist's troubled mind in order the emphasize the madness growing in her. The reader get access to every thoughts and every feels, and it is easy to understand the state of the character. And as the reader get to know her, he can see the madness which is destroying her and evolving in her mind. Firstly, there are complete phrases and clear thoughts, but as the story goes on, the reader can see that she becomes more unclear, so he does not really understand her anymore. So for instance at the beginning she says “I am glad my case is not serious! But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him. Of course it is only nervousness. It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any ways!” (88-89), here she seems still pretty clear and is more or less aware of her state. At the end of the story by contrast she says “Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the patterns just enjoys it! All those strangles heads and bulbous...