Works Cited Preliminary Page Next week you will be completing a research paper on one of the works you read during this course. To prepare for writing the paper, choose the work you will write about a

Bacuylima 3

Jennifer Bacuylima

St. Thomas University

Character Development and Perspective

Analyze the hidden meanings behind her husband’s words and how the main character asserts her authority.

In The Yellow Wallpaper, the husband’s words subtly convey his control over his wife, often dismissing her thoughts and emotions as irrational due to her “nervous condition.” By insisting she adhere to rest and isolation, he undermines her autonomy under the guise of care. Phrases like “little girl” or “blessed little goose” infantilize her, reducing her voice and reinforcing her dependence on him. However, the main character gradually asserts authority in secret ways, particularly through her connection to the wallpaper, which she begins to “read” as a symbol of her confinement (Gilman). By choosing to “free” the woman in the wallpaper, she reclaims her power, symbolically rejecting her husband’s oppressive control. Her final act of defiance—declaring she is now “free”—marks her ultimate resistance and self-assertion.

Imagine if this story was told from John's point of view instead. How would the story change?

If The Yellow Wallpaper were told from John’s perspective, the story would shift from one of mental liberation to one of rational control and misunderstanding. John, as a physician, believes he’s doing what’s best for his wife, convinced that rest and isolation will restore her health. He likely sees himself as the rational caretaker, struggling with his wife’s refusal to follow his treatment plan. The wallpaper—disturbing yet insignificant to him—would represent his frustration with her “fixation” on trivial matters, which he interprets as further evidence of her condition (Gilman). The creeping realization of her mental deterioration would unfold as a painful yet clinical observation, lacking the depth of her inner turmoil. Instead of liberation, the narrative would center on John's helplessness and frustration in controlling an “unmanageable” situation beyond his understanding.

Work Cited

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yelllow Wallpaper. 1892. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Literacy_and_Critical_Thinking/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/05%3A_Fiction_Readings/5.03%3A_Gilman_Charlotte_Perkins_The_Yellow_Wallpaper_(1892). 30 October 2024.