What is the overall message of the yellow wallpaper?
The primary theme of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is that women who are suffering from post-partum depression, or any kind of depression, should be respected and allowed to make decisions regarding their own lifestyle and health.
Why is the narrator depressed in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The narrator is depressed in “The Yellow Wallpaper” because she has just had a baby. Postnatal depression is very common in women, but in the narrator’s time, it was often falsely identified as hysteria.
What does John think is wrong with his wife?
The narrator explains that John believes her illness to be self-created or “all in her head.” He even tells friends and family this diagnosis. His dismissiveness reveals a lack of respect for his wife as both a person and as his patient.
What does the narrator believe would be the best cure for her?
The narrator believes that her best cure would be work, go out into the world (and society), and try to be a mother to her child. Her husband and brother wish to do the opposite: they want to isolate her, keep her away from her child, and prohibit her from working.
Who is Jennie in the Yellow Wallpaper?
Jennie. John’s sister. Jennie acts as housekeeper for the couple. Her presence and her contentment with a domestic role intensify the narrator’s feelings of guilt over her own inability to act as a traditional wife and mother.
Who is John’s wife in The Yellow Wallpaper?
Jennie
How does the husband treat the wife in the Yellow Wallpaper?
Hover for more information. The husband in “The Yellow Wallpaper” treats his wife condescendingly and like a child, leading her to be very unhappy and unfulfilled. She is already experiencing post-partum despression, for which in modern times she would be able to receive treatment.
What is the resting cure?
The rest cure was a strictly enforced regime of six to eight weeks of bed rest and isolation, without any creative or intellectual activity or stimulation. It was often accompanied by massage and electrotherapy, as well as a fatty diet, rich in milk and meat.
Who or what is the antagonist in the Yellow Wallpaper?
We know the main antagonist is her husband, the physician, John. He creates the “obstacles that give the story momentum” and “creates an environment in which [her] transformation can take place” (Marks).