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The Yellow Wallpaper Symbol Analysis

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Symbols found in “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a riveting story about a young woman who becomes depressed, after having a baby.Her husband believes he has found a remedy for her abasement, which is known in the story as the “rest cure”. Which entails her staying in a bed in a room, where the only thing to look at is the yellow wallpaper. Charlotte Gilman, who is known for her regular use of symbols, fills this tale with several underlying meanings. Gilman shows the protagonist feeling trapped, depressed, and damaged through symbols. Gilman uses symbols to show the main character feeling trapped. The first example of this is the garden that narrator can see just outside the windows(McClinton-Temple 484). The garden is something that the narrator has loved ever since she moved into the house, and the fact that she cannot touch the garden or go outside shows that she is trapped. The second example of the narrator feeling trapped is the bed …show more content…

The first example of this is the state of the wallpaper (Gilman 3). The wallpaper is described as dull and damaged in several different ways, just like the narrator who is also dull and damaged. The way the narrator's husband treats her is also a huge symbol (Gilman 10). The main character's husband treats her as if she is damaged, and he is also very oppressive to her. The “Rest Cure” that John, her husband, gives her is a huge symbol (Gilman 10). She is given a treatment plan because she is seen as damaged by her husband John, who thinks that this “Rest Cure” will fix her. This “Rest Cure” only drives the woman to insanity. Symbolism,which is a key literary element in Charlotte Gilman’s work , is used to portray many different messages throughout the story. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman, it is very evident that Gilman symbolically shows the narrator feeling trapped, depressed, and damaged throughout the

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