Then the wallpaper develops its symbolic meaning into the narrator’s growing but still repressed inner desire to liberate. With no simulation but only rest prescribed by her husband, she becomes curious of the wallpaper as revealed in the statement that “I’m getting fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper” (p.35). As a result, she tries to figure out the pattern, but it is “not arranged on any laws of radiation, or alternation, or repetition, or symmetry, or anything else” (p.35). Such pointless pattern departs from any conventional design, which indicates that her inner desire is abnormal under that social setting. Gradually a creeping woman emerges which is an indication that she begins to accept her inner desire she has always been avoiding. Another evidence for her change is that she is used to the yellow smell released by the wallpaper. Her accustomed attitude towards the stifling smell shows that she does not resist her dangerous idea any more. At this moment, the wallpaper functions as a mirror. It reflects her inner self who values the “lack of sequence” and “defiance of law”, namely her inner desire of gender equality while the outer one considers it “irritant to a normal mind” (p.38). But the outer one overmasters the inner one because she is poisoned with the social prejudice on women just like the “fungus” on the “arabesque” which buds and sprouts in her mind. The personification that the wallpaper “turns a back somersault”, “slaps you in your face, knocks you down and tramples upon you” (p.38) witnesses her ongoing violent struggle in her mind. Consequently, observing the wallpaper habitually shows that the narrator is on her way of realization as she neither denies nor accepts her inner desire.
In the end, the wallpaper symbolizes the narrator’s realization that the woman hidden underneath mirrors her own predicament. As the narrator fully identifies herself with the trapped woman, she strips off the wallpaper to set the woman free and to rescue herself as well which is reflected in the statement that “I’ve got out at last” (p.44). The process that “I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled” (p.44) is a reflection of women with the same inner desire gather as a union and struggle hardly to break the social bonds. However, the ending is a paradox. On the surface, the narrator successfully astonishes her husband, but she is reduced to animalistic creep and even misnames “Jane” for “Jennie”. Thus, pulling off the wallpaper is a superficial victory compared to her mental breakdown. The author deliberately leaves the suspense to readers to imagine what will happen to the narrator and probably she will be institutionalized into mental hospital. In fact, the careful chosen word “wallpaper” instead of “wall” in the title foreshadows the ending. According to the literal meaning, it is a compound of “wall” and “paper”. “Paper” is vulnerable associated with one level of social restrictions on women, but “wall” is a solid barrier of long-term sexual discrimination. The difference between “wallpaper” and “wall” determines the long way for women to strive for gender equality. As a result, the paradoxical ending enhances the oppressive social bonds on women.
Furthermore, the sunlight and the moonlight shadowing on the wallpaper hold the symbolic meaning. Sunlight associated with brightness will expose the narrator’s intention of liberation to the public, so by daylight the imaginary woman keeps still as if “she is subdued” (p.38). In contrast, moonlight associated with secretive darkness covers her intention “in shady spots”, so “she takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard” (p.41) when the moonlight takes turns. Besides, the moonlight through the barred windows makes shadow on the wallpaper so that “it becomes bars” (p.38) and strangles the woman behind. This pushes the narrator to recognize the wallpaper as the social bonds that repress women. Her distinct reaction to sunlight and moonlight illustrates that the male aggressiveness is too strong and silences women’s voices.
In addition, the house her husband rents for her treatment is embedded with the symbolic meaning. The limited domestic environment determines women’s mission as domestic wives or even servants. The narrator depicts the house as “a colonial mansion” and “a hereditary estate” (p.30). This indicates that the ingrained gender-biased social attitude preserves as an inheritance which is passed along and colonizes women. She regards the house as “haunted” and “queer” since it “stood so long untenanted” (p.30). Her delusion seems to be an evidence of her “slight hysterical tendency” (p.30), but actually it demonstrates her suspicions about the unfair but ignored social norms on women just like the tenantless house.
However, even the house is not her domain, the upstairs room is. The locked room is a nursery and symbolizes the oppression enforced by her husband’s paternalistic behavior which makes the narrator far from the outside world. What she can do is merely observing from the barred windows. Barring windows can be covered by the excuse of preventing unexpected accidents, but it is humiliating to an adult as treated in the same way as a child or a prisoner. She can see “the garden with mysterious deepshaded arbors, the riotous old fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees” (p.33). The garden represents the society, but it is mysterious to the narrator because it is seldom landed by women. Those riotous flowers symbolize the minority of women who successfully contribute their talent without any restrictions and have achieved full development. She also imagines “people walking in these numerous paths and arbors” towards “the bay” and “private wharf” (p.33). Those walking people can be interpreted as males who own positions and freedom in their private society tightly closed to women. The view she sees shows her desire to expand her territory from domestic houses to the society, but she is treated as giving way to fancy by her husband. Besides that, the inconsistent description that the narrator dares not look out of the window is a foreshadowing of her semi-victory. She is too exhausted to think how much those creeping women have suffered which is a mirror to remind her of her own painful struggling process. Compared to creeping outside where “everything is green instead of yellow” (p.44), she prefers creeping inside where she feels safe. This shows that she recognizes her aspirations of gender equality, but she loses the courage to cope with the outside world filled with competitive vigor and complexity as connoted with “green”. The mental struggle process consumes her entire reason which highlights the extreme oppressive force on women.
Apart from the symbolic objects, the author employs symbolic characters to illustrate the theme of oppression on women. The narrator herself is a symbol of fighting against males because it is the narrator’s feelings that color the surrounding objects which are originally neutral and make them oppressive (Sparknotes, n.d., Analysis of Major Characters section). She is combined with outer passivity under male authority and inner rebellion against male dominance. She “personally” disagrees with the treatment, “personally” believes writing is a “congenial work” (p.30) and even belittles herself as “a comparative burden” instead of “a help to John” (p.32). This shows that women are brainwashed to act as inferior to men and their opinions have little power to change anything. However, passively accepting the male authority is merely the superficial narrator because she keeps writing secretly to “relieve her mind” and wishes “less opposition and more society and stimulus” (p.31). Being restricted and made fun of by her husband, she hides her true feelings and falls into her own territory of fascination. Her attitude towards the wallpaper intensifies into the possessive sense of tracing the pattern on her own. Gradually she separates herself from the reality as indicated in her inability to understand Jennie’s explanation that the yellow stains on her clothes comes from the wallpaper. Although she finally makes the connection between the predicament of the trapped woman and her own dilemma, such dissociation from the reality leads to her insanity. The irony that the narrator has to lose her mind to understand her inner self emphasizes the sacrifice she has made and criticizes the ridiculous idea that females are subordination. Therefore, the narrator symbolizes the possibility of the women’s liberation from the restrictive social after torturing struggle.
Compared to the narrator’s rebellious inner desire, Jennie represents a role model for what the society expect of women. The account that “she is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession” (p.34) reveals that she lives contentedly in the domestic circle. It is no wonder that she does not show any understanding or sympathy to the narrator and even thinks that it is the writing that makes the narrator sick. The contrast between the narrator and Jennie creates an ironic contradictory of whether to arouse inner desire and suffer painfully or to behave submissively and live normally.
In conclusion, Gilman uses various symbols to show social oppression on women and their struggle to escape from the oppression. The physical environment around the narrator including the wallpaper, the light and the house triggers her mental breakdown. Meanwhile, her husband and sister-in-law aggravate her isolation from the reality. Her ending in tearing the wallpaper madly symbolizes her midway of liberation - in the gap between the idea and real action to gain gender equality. Such failure of self-rescue strengthens the oppression placed by the society. Gilman’s use of symbolism strikes a chord and prompts a reflection in modern society where gender inequality still exists.
References
Garcia, V. (n.d.). Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” with links for the primary symbols and images. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from
The yellow wallpaper. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2008, from
Banerjee, B. (2008). Lecture 5: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Yellow Wallpaper.
Course Packet, ENG1293: Introduction to Literary Studies II: Literature in Context.
