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ENGLISH GRADE 12...

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The Yellow Wallpaper” Personal Reflection Obviously, Gilman is not suggesting that madness is categorically better than sanity. However, for the heroine of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the descent into madness proves unexpectedly liberating -- and empowering. In what ways is this true? In what ways is madness liberating or empowering for this heroine? Madness reveals the mental state of an insane person and their uncontrollable impulsive behavior indicates their level of insanity. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, women were told by doctors they suffered from high amounts of stress and anxiety and they need to take a rest cure that involves a domestic life of doing nothing. When women spoke up or denied the oppressive treatment, they were prescribed addictive drugs that often lead to death. In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, The narrator’s madness proves unexpectedly liberating and empowering. In the beginning of the short story, The narrator did not show any symptoms of insanity, because she recognizes her sickness and a person that is mentally distorted often denies their illness and need for treatment, however, the treatment she was undergoing exacerbated her nervous condition and she began behaving insanely and revealing ironic aspects through her actions and words. Her husband is also a physician that plays the role of being dominant and controlling. John enforces the treatment, and the narrator’s voice is unheard and her feelings that she tries to express are disregarded. This is significant because it demonstrates the patriarchal society and the treatment of women during Gilman’s day. Moreover, the narrator experiences severe depression and madness as a result of confinement and the dreadful treatment. Some of her absurd behaviour include chewing on the bed and ripping off the wallpaper. As she’s locked in the nursery room, she begins hallucinating and seeing creeping women outside the window, but most ironically, she sees a woman trying to escape behind the wallpaper. This symbolizes her being prisoned and trying to liberate the woman which is herself . The narrator also saw multiple women meaning that other women also feel imprisoned. Her ripping the wallpaper to help the women behind the wall escape is a sign of empowerment and liberation because it conveys the message that women in the late 19th century felt improsent in marital life and in a male dominant society, thus their only way of escaping often involved sacrificing their own life....