The Yellow Wallpaper: Male Opression Of Women In Society

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room with roses all over the windows that
opened on the piazza, the narrator finds herself relegated to an out of the way
dungeon-like nursery on the second floor, appropriately equipped with "rings and
things" in the walls. Windows in each direction provide glimpses of the garden,
arbors, bushes, and trees. The bay is visible, as is a private wharf that
adjoins the estate. These views reinforce isolationism; they can be seen from
the room, but not touched or experienced. There is a gate at the head of the
stairs, presumably to keep the children contained in their play area.
Additionally, the bed is immovable as it has been nailed to the floor. It is
here that the narrator secretly describes her slow decent into madness.
Although the physical confinement drains the narrator's strength and will,
the mental and emotional confinement symbolized in the story play an important
role in her ultimate fall into dementia. By being forced to be her own company,
she is confined ...

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her complaints and demeans her
individuality. His prescribed treatment is worse than the disease; every hour
is scheduled, she is forbidden to write, told what to think, and prohibited from
acting as mother to her child.
John's behavior illustrates his covert efforts to control his wife as
well. He looks to the narrator's brother, who is also a physician, to validate
his diagnosis and prescribed cure, making it even more difficult for the
narrator to challenge the prescription herself. He repeatedly diminishes her by
laughing at her and not taking her grievances seriously. The narrator complains
"John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason ...

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