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The Yellow Wallpaper Psychoanalysis

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In Gilman's short story,"The Yellow Wallpaper" the narrator becomes disassociated with reality while becoming fixated on the yellow wallpaper of her bedroom. This reveals to be symbolic of the everyday pattern of society. The narrator's husband John, who is also her physician, believes nothing is wrong with her. John tends to be a very practical man. His practical way of thinking seems to lead him to only admit physical illnesses that are obvious to the human eye. This leads John to not acknowledging the narrator's apparent mental illness. John's behavior continues to oppress her by forbidding her to "work" until she is well again. This leads her to create an alternate reality in which she is able to have a sense of control. Her alternate reality …show more content…

This can be connected to the narrator by her longing for John to love her deeper by understanding her emotionally, not just psychically. With a bit of Gilman's background, it is expressed that she grew up with a mother who was not nurturing, which Gilman and the narrator longs for. John is much like Gilman's mother by not loving her in a nurturing way as well. This is exhibited through his constant efforts of infantilizing her throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper. Veeder also articulated that the narrator sought marriage to fill the void that her mother left. Veeder also goes on to lecture on how a repressing marriage worsens the psychological horrors molded by deficient nurturing in childhood as well as how husbands can duplicate the nonachievement of parent figures. Veeder also touches on the aspects of post-partum pyschosis which is interpreted to be what the narrator is going through due to “The Yellow Wallpaper” touching on the narrator recently having an infant. (Veeder

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