The Yellow Wallpaper by Elizabeth Bentley https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8 Made with no regrets, whatsoever en-us 2021-02-15 20:06:02 UTC 2025-10-26 16:55:16 UTC hello@padlet.com Theme eb43119 https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204769723 In the "The Yellow Wallpaper", Charlotte Perkins Gilman asserts that ignoring mental illness not only does not help heal the sickness, but also worsens it to the degree that it may be too advanced to ever recover from, as seen through the narrators progressive fall into insanity throughout the story during her isolation. ]]> 2021-02-15 20:11:57 UTC https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204769723 Setting eb43119 https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204799637 -A "nursery" in a colonial mansion
-The narrator doesn't "like our room a bit"(27), and in regards the wallpaper says that she never "saw a worse paper in [her] life"(33).
-It is through her thoughts of the wallpaper that the reader is able to discern her descent into madness. She imagines a woman behind the paper and knows that she wants "to get out"(131). She convinces herself that she became the woman trapped, and becomes a shell of her former self, obsessed with the wallpaper and the prison, and eventually haven, that it creates. It is not the wallpaper that causes her insanity, but rather the isolation that destroys her, represented by her fixation on the walls. ]]> 2021-02-15 20:26:14 UTC https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204799637 Narrator eb43119 https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204827743 -The narrator is Jane, and it is inferred that she has some sort of mental illness. She seems almost childlike, and, at the beginning, trusts those around her to take care of her. However, as the story progresses she resents them and becomes angry and paranoid towards all those who come into her room. "But I know she was studying that pattern, and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself!"
-At the beginning, the tone is almost lighthearted, with just a bit of frustration that she is kept in the room. However, it soon becomes anxious, disturbing, and dark as she slips into madness. 
"There are only two more days to get this paper off"
"I kept on creeping just the same, but I looked at him over my shoulder"
-Through the tone shift and change in character and nature, the reader is able to identify how as the neglect continues, her condition worsens as well.
]]> 2021-02-15 20:40:33 UTC https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204827743 Literary Devices/Techniques eb43119 https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204859267 1. First Person Narrative- this point of view allows the reader to really see inside of the narrator's mind, and know what she is thinking and how her thoughts change. We are able to see her mentally decline, realizing what she cannot realize. For example, we are able to see her shift from thinking there is a woman in the wall, to believing that she is the woman in the wall. "I wonder if they all come out of that wall-paper as I did"(246). We see how she feels about the neglect towards her, and this is what leads to her shifting thoughts. 
2. Imagery- the narrator uses many descriptive words to describe the wallpaper, such as "outside pattern is a florid arabesque, reminding one of a fungus". This allows us to see what she sees, really understand how she views the paper and the shift from disgust to fascination she feels towards it. Her isolation messes with her mind, and her imagination runs wild, and combined with the insanity her descriptions become more complex and almost disturbing. 
3. Dialogue- the narrator's husband has the most dialogue in this story, and the reader is able to tell that he does not think that her mental illness is a big deal or even real. He treats her like a child, believing that the problem will fix itself, and never gets her any actual help. "There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a temperament like yours. It is a false and foolish fancy. Can you not trust me as a physician when I tell you so?”(141)]]> 2021-02-15 20:57:57 UTC https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204859267 Gothic Literature Elements eb43119 https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204861473 There are several different gothic elements in this story. 
-The first is a woman in distress. It is not in the traditional sense, since the thing holding her captive is not only her husband isolating her, but her mind is trapping her as well. Her mental illness is the monster, but in this story, no one comes to save her. 
-Mystery and suspense. Throughout the story, the reader is trying to figure out what is going on and what will happen. The narrator is unpredictable and unreliable, and it leaves emotions running high. 
-Another obvious one is madness. The narrator is going mad, and in the end she is completely consumed by it. 
-The setting is also very relevant to gothic literature, as it takes place in a rundown room that has a dark feeling in general.
-Overall, the story just has a darker feel and tone to it, which is a common thing in gothic literature. ]]> 2021-02-15 20:59:11 UTC https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204861473 Connections eb43119 https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204862407 -gothic literature is a type of dark romanticism, and it can be seen in this story. There are a lot of emotions written into this piece, which is a characteristic of many pieces of romanticism literature. The woman is also the victim, and featured in both this gothic piece and many romantic literature, there is suffering. It could be said that there is supernatural elements in "The Yellow Wallpaper", which is another element in romanticism. ]]> 2021-02-15 20:59:46 UTC https://padlet.com/eb43119/7zzohb43u6cf2kq8/wish/1204862407