character analysis

 In the story, The Yellow Wallpaper the author, Charlotte Perkins Stetson, represents important illnesses in her story. The narrator of the short story, Jane, suffers from postpartum depression and anxiety. The setting of the story occurs in a colonial mansion, in the isolated country around the 1800s. John, the narrator’s husband, is a physician who incorrectly diagnoses her. John believes that his wife is experiencing “temporary nervous depression” because, in that era, postpartum depression wasn’t yet recognized. John tries to treat her condition by isolating Jane from the world. However, this only decreases Jane’s mental health leading her to insanity and obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room. The narrator is misunderstood by everyone around her. She doesn’t have support from anyone, hence, why she starts writing in her journal. The dramatic irony in the story helps the reader give Jane a proper diagnosis of the symptoms she is experiencing. The audience knows by her journal that she’s obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room but what the character doesn’t know is that this is the result of her anxiety, postpartum depression, and isolation. 

     At first glance, Jane seems to be a healthy and ordinary wife. However, as the story progresses we see some symptoms of anxiety in Jane. Jane explains, “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes. I’m sure I never used to be so sensitive” (Perkins 648). Her mood swings are signifying that her mental health condition is worsening. A typical behavior with someone with anxiety is irritability. Jane has explained to us that her husband doesn’t let her make her own decisions. This could be a factor in her development of anxiety because Jane feels trapped in her marriage. She fears that if she complains, her husband will think of her as an ungrateful wife. For people with anxiety, it’s common to be in constant fear especially with the opinions of others. Jane shows other signs of anxiety when she becomes obsessed with the wallpaper in her room. Jane is, “ getting really fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper. It dwells in my mind so ! I lie here on this great immovable bed – it is nailed down, I believe – and follow that pattern about by the hour”(Perkins 650). Jane’s obsession had driven her to sleepless nights. As she lays in bed, her constant thoughts and worries about this yellow wallpaper don’t let her sleep at night. It may seem like an insignificant thing to worry about but for someone dealing with anxiety, anything can cause worry and restlessness (National Institutes of Mental Health. “Anxiety Disorders.” 2018). To add on, anxiety can make a person feel weak and tired, something Jane has been experiencing. Jane has, “been here two·weeks, and I haven’t felt like writing before, since that first day. I am sitting by the window now, up in this atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please, save lack of strength.” (Perkins 649). The reader knows how much she enjoys writing and expressing herself through her journal, that it surprises us to hear that she went two weeks without writing. This lack of motivation shows us that Jane is now at the peak of her condition and if not treated it could become more severe. The narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper correctly represents what an anxiety disorder is. 

    As her condition worsens, her ability to think logically also begins to deteriorate. At the beginning of the story, we see Jane experiencing an anxiety disorder, however, later in the story we see her going through postpartum depression. Jane faintly mentions her interactions with her baby. Jane thinks, “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous.”(Perkins 649). Jane gets nervous being around her baby. She doesn’t see her child often or ever but when she does she can’t handle taking care of it. Her baby is being taken care of by another person because Jane is not stable enough. This is what postpartum depression does to a mother. A mother experiencing postpartum depression fears being around her child because they are afraid of hurting it. One of the symptoms of postpartum depression is thoughts of harming or killing your baby (Mayo Clinic. “Postpartum depression.” 2018). Although Jane does not say she wants to harm the baby, she’s nervous she might do something to hurt it or she won’t be capable of caring for it. Another symptom of postpartum depression is hallucinations (Mayo Clinic. “Postpartum depression.” 2018). She begins having hallucinations with the yellow wallpaper. Jane thinks she, “found out. The front pattern does move – and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over.” (Perkins 654). Jane’s mental health has completely deteriorated. She is no longer thinking sane, she firmly believes that someone is living behind the yellow wallpaper. This comes to show that her depression has turned into psychosis, as a result of her misdiagnosis, from her husband. Jane is the perfect representation of what postpartum depression is when it is left untreated. 

       Overall, the short story The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, portrays two very important illnesses, anxiety, and postpartum depression. The narrator of the story, Jane, begins showing signs of anxiety as she obsesses over the wallpaper to the point of sleep-loss. Jane fears being judged wrongfully by her husband, resulting in anxiety. As her mental health deteriorates, we see Jane suffering from postpartum depression. Jane is incapable of caring for her child, hence, why Mary starts taking care of the child. Jane has driven to insanity when she starts hallucinating. Jane shows all the signs of anxiety and postpartum depression, which is why she’s a perfect representation of both.

Presentation of Research

Mental health is an important factor in our everyday lives. People around us struggle with a mental illness that we might not be aware of. Considering the global pandemic that our nation is going through, it is important to be aware of our mental health. Significant mental health illnesses cost society millions of dollars in health care (Ghinassi, Cheryl Winning. Anxiety. Greenwood, 2010). Society needs to understand mental health to identify the problem and properly treat it. Anxiety is a basic emotion of fear that is utilized for survival as it helps us respond to danger (Ghinassi, Cheryl Winning. Anxiety. Greenwood, 2010). However, when it begins to interfere with our regular daily activities, it then becomes a mental health concern. About 18-20 percent of the world’s population undergoes some type of anxiety disorder. People with anxiety may experience irritability, being easily fatigued, unable to relax, difficulty in controlling worry (National Institute of Mental Health. “Anxiety Disorders.” 2018). This can also imply to new mothers. It is common for mothers to feel anxious and worried about the arrival of their new child. This anxiety associated with the arrival of the baby can lead to postpartum depression. A woman’s body and mind undergo many changes during and after pregnancy that it’s difficult to accommodate. Some symptoms of postpartum depression are feeling sad, helpless, overwhelmed, excessive crying, having thoughts of harming the baby, having no interest in the baby, and in worse cases having hallucinations (Office on Women’s Health. “Postpartum depression.” 2019). It is important to treat mental health illness at its first stage, to stop the condition before it gets worse. 

       Many psychological disorders presented in the real world are portrayed in films, stories, or journals. One short story that includes psychological illnesses is, The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Stetson. Charlotte Perkins does a great job of representing anxiety and postpartum through the main character while also maintaining a great storyline. Jane thinks, “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous.” (Perkins 649). This is the result of severe anxiety. She worries that she won’t be able to properly care for her child. She has the excessive worry that she cannot control, making her incapable of being with her child. As Carol A McVeigh says, “ Anxiety is defined as a non- observable subjective experience that is unpleasant, uncomfortable and characterized by feelings of dread, apprehension and tension” (McVeigh, Carol A. “Anxiety and Functional Status after Childbirth .” vol. 13, no. 1, 2000, pp. 14-18. ccny databases). This is exactly what Jane is experiencing. Whenever she is near the baby she feels tension and worry. Jane dreads the thought of taking care of her child. If the story were to take place in the present time, psychologists would treat her disorder with proper medication and therapy. According to Cheryl Winning Ghinassi, “Strong empirical evidence has proven that a combination of psychotherapeutic medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment for most anxiety disorders.” (Winning Ghinassi, Cheryl. Anxiety. ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2010. ccny database). The general public needs to understand the struggles of new mothers. Society should know that anxiety can happen to anyone and may develop in later stages of life. The best way to learn and understand a mental illness is through a good interesting story like The Yellow Wallpaper. 

      The short story also represents an important mental illness like postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a common problem that occurs after pregnancy. It should not be confused with baby blues that last for about 3-5 days. If sadness and hopelessness still occur after the 3-5 days it has turned into postpartum depression. Women with postpartum depression may experience extreme cases where they begin to see hallucinations. Jane starts experiencing these symptoms. Jane believes, “I have finally found out. The front pattern does move – and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it!Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over.” (Perkins 654). Here we see Jane completely insane, her mental health has deteriorated completely. Jane’s postpartum depression is not being treated properly. Her depression has turned into something much worse, psychosis. This needs immediate attention because it can result in suicidal attempts. Jeanine K. Morris-Rush would agree with my statement because she believes, “ These women may have paranoia, mood-swings, hallucinations, or delusions. Postpartum psy-chosis requires immediate attention, especially given the high rate of infanticide and suicide in these patients.” (Morris-Rush, Jeanine K. “Screening for postpartum depression in an inner-city population.” no. 188, 2003, p. 5. CCNY databases). It is important to be aware of how you feel after the birth of your child. It is common for mothers to forget to put their needs first. Postpartum depression can lead to the death of both the mother and the child. This is why the general public needs to understand what postpartum is and what it can do to a person. 

         Overall, the short story The Yellow Wallpaper does a great job of informing the public about the mental health illnesses that can occur after birthing a child. Jane, throughout the story, gives many signs of anxiety and postpartum depression that was not being taken care of. As a result, Jane’s condition worsens to the point where she began hallucinating. People need to understand the severity of both these illnesses and be able to point out the symptoms before it worsens.