“The Yellow Wallpaper” and Women’s Mental Health
“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a captivating short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892. It explores the theme of women’s mental health in history, shedding light on the oppressive treatment and lack of understanding surrounding women’s nervous disorders during that era. To fully comprehend the story’s context, it is crucial to examine the prevailing attitudes toward mental health and the contrasting approaches to treatment for men and women at the time, particularly through the works of Silas Weir Mitchell (Sidenote: He is mentioned in the story; thus, I researched him and decided to share what I found).
During the late 19th century, women’s mental health was often misunderstood and attributed to their supposed inherent weaknesses and fragility. Women were commonly diagnosed with “hysteria,” a vague and often stigmatizing term used to describe various emotional and psychological disturbances. The prevailing belief was that women’s mental health issues were a consequence of their physiological and reproductive systems.
Silas Weir Mitchell, an American physician and writer, played a significant role in shaping the treatment of nervous disorders during this period. He advocated the “rest cure (as discussed heavily in this short story),” a controversial and rigid treatment method. Mitchell’s rest cure involved strict bed rest, isolation, and limited mental stimulation. Patients were advised to refrain from intellectual or creative activities, reducing them to passive beings.
Interestingly, Mitchell’s approach to treating men with nervous disorders differed significantly from his treatment of women. While men were encouraged to engage in mild physical activities and return to work gradually, women were prescribed total confinement, bedrest, no creative outlets, and a diet gorging themselves with food (mostly red meats), further reinforcing the societal notion that their role was confined to the domestic sphere. Often, men were told to go west and enjoy camping, hunting, ranching, writing, and spending time with others (some people you may know who benefited from the West Cure include Walt Whitman, painter Thomas Eakins, novelist Owen Wister, and at the time, future U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt).
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s own personal experience with the rest cure inspired her to write “The Yellow Wallpaper.” After being diagnosed with postpartum depression and subjected to Mitchell’s treatment, she found the rest cure to be dehumanizing and oppressive. In the story, the protagonist, Jane, is also subjected to this treatment, leading to a steady deterioration of her mental health.
Through vivid and haunting imagery, Gilman portrays the protagonist’s descent into madness as she fixates on the yellow wallpaper in her room. The wallpaper takes on symbolic significance, representing the confines and restrictions imposed upon women in society, as well as the damaging effects of the rest cure. The protagonist’s confinement and lack of agency parallel the larger issue of women’s oppression in a male-dominated society of 1892.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” serves as a critique of the medical establishment’s treatment of women’s mental health during the late 19th century. Gilman’s work highlights the importance of recognizing women’s experiences and perspectives on mental health, challenging the prevailing gender biases that informed medical practices at the time.
While I won’t reveal the ending of the story to preserve its impact on readers, “The Yellow Wallpaper” remains a powerful piece of literature that exposes the devastating consequences of society’s past dismissal and mistreatment of women’s mental health. It continues to be studied and celebrated for its exploration of gender roles, mental illness, and the importance of agency in women’s lives. It is only fifteen pages long and definitely worth the read.
