Consider the relationship between the two characters, John and the female speaker in the passage from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story 'The Yellow Wallpaper.' Why do you suppose the speaker feels that she 'must' write what she thinks and feels?

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Consider the relationship between the two characters, John and the female speaker in the passage from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’ Why do you suppose  the speaker feels that she ‘must’ write what she thinks and feels? What does writing mean to her? Why would John think her writing ‘absurd’? Is this merely an account of a woman going crazy or is Gilman offering us ‘social protest’ here? What evidence do we have that the speaker is unstable? What aspects of life in late 19th Century America might the author be protesting against?

The very fact that the speaker feels the need to write down and not articulate her feelings of unease arouses the reader’s suspicion that the relationship between her husband and herself is not as sound as it should be. Even on first reading there appears to be a distinct lack of understanding between the couple, for the speaker states, “I know John would think it absurd,” implying that he would not be able to see the situation from her perspective. The speaker’s declaration that she ‘must’ write further enforces the idea that she is not understand, for her need reveals the true extent of her entrapment and desperation, exposed through her strong choice of language.

Although he does not directly speak, through the speaker’s portrayal of him, the reader can assume that he had undertaken a very patronising attitude in dealing with his wife’s illness. His belief that he knows best implies that her condition is more serious than a mere physical aliment, for he appears to deem her incompetent to know what will help and what will hinder her recovery. His advice likewise, declaring that she must use her ‘will and self control’ seems to remove himself from the responsibility of having to care for her, as though he does not want to carry the guilt of her illness or his shoulders when he feels that he has provided her with enough aid medically.

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Despite this, he does appear very loving, yet the detail in which the speaker describes his affectionate care for her implies that she finds this care to be over protective, forcing her further into her passive role as a woman. In this respect, John’s lack of awareness regarding the speaker’s feelings could be seen to be a lack of awareness regarding a female’s place in society. Her obligation to obey him is also apparent, for she quotes his advice with such preciseness, that it seems she has learnt it by rote, yet her tone suggests that she does not necessarily ...

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