Question

in the story "the yellow wallpaper" how does the reader know that the narrator's mental state has begun to deteriorate?

Answer 1

The narrator's mental deterioration in "The Yellow Wallpaper" can be discerned through her obsession with the wallpaper and abnormal behavior, reflecting an entwinement of mental health issues with the socio-cultural oppression she faces, including forced inactivity and lack of autonomy.

Step-by-step explanation:

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, indicators of the narrator's deteriorating mental state are closely tied to the oppressive forces she faces, and this decline can be observed through her growing obsession with the wallpaper and her increasingly erratic behavior. The narrative provides evidence for this through the protagonist's detailed descriptions of the wallpaper, which she initially dislikes, but eventually becomes consumed by. Her thoughts and perceptions grow more irrational and fixated, suggesting a disconnection from reality, further compounded by the isolation and lack of mental stimulation catalyzed by the rest-cure prescribed by her husband and her subsequent loss of autonomy.

The story's portrayal of the narrator's confinement and lack of agency reflects broader themes of women's oppression and the social expectations of the time. The protagonist's decline is not solely a result of her postpartum depression but also due to the patriarchal structures that restrict her intellectual and creative freedom, as symbolized by the locked mansion, barred windows, and the intricate patterns of the yellow wallpaper that she believes trap a woman inside.

Reading the story through a feminist lens, one can argue that the psychological affliction depicted is intricately linked to the protagonist's forced dependence and subjugation. The room's bars and the oppressive patterns of the wallpaper can be seen as symbols of the societally imposed limitations on women, contributing to the protagonist's mental breakdown as she struggles against these confines.

Answer 2

The narrator’s mental health hinges not only on whether she has work to do, but what kind of work it is. She wants to write and isn’t allowed, something that “does exhaust her a good deal” (3). The subtle undermining of her confidence as a writer doesn’t exactly help to repair the damaged relationships she shares with her husband and her sister-in-law, sending her further into a frenzy of paranoia that leads to her mounting obsession with the design of the paper on her bedroom wall.