Topic > Analysis of quotes from "The Yellow Wallpaper" that portray the narrator

In "The Yellow Wallpaper", author Charlotte Gilman uses indirect characterization to describe the narrator and through several main quotes from "The Yellow Wallpaper" we can image the protagonist. The protagonist is a woman affected by an illness considered nervous by her husband. At the same time, her husband is also her doctor and allows him to monitor her closely. As a result, he forbids her from doing anything that would prevent her from improving, such as writing and entertaining her imagination. In an act of rebellion, she begins to write to relieve herself and it is the form that allows her to share this story. The narrator is an imaginative woman who is oppressed by her surroundings and tries to free herself from what holds her back. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The narrator's expressive imagination is one of his most distinctive characteristics. She generalizes that the house she and John, her husband, are staying in is haunted because it is so cheap. The narrator then follows this with the statement "John laughs at me...John is practical in the extreme", thus implying that her husband finds her ideas silly and, compared to his practicality, she is imaginative. Additionally, the narrator appears to personify the inanimate objects around her, such as the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom. Giving him human characteristics that he continually dwells on and reacts to, almost as if they were real people he's interacting with. For example, when describing the path he found leading to the bay from the estate, he says “the pattern dangles like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down.” It is transforming a simple path into a creature that looks with two bulbous eyes. Over the course of the story, he creates this woman who is trapped behind the yellow wallpaper of the room where she remains isolated. He imagined that the woman in the wallpaper is trapped behind bars and manages to get out during the day. Unlike most patients, the narrator cannot ignore her doctor's concerns because her husband also serves as her doctor. Ultimately, leaving her with no escape from his oppressive demands. John constantly reminds her not to let her fantasies escape her and to keep her imagination in check. The husband even goes so far as to threaten to send her to Weir Mitchell, who according to the narrator "is just like John and my brother, only more so!". So, in turn, the narrator takes whatever medicine John gives her and stops herself from entertaining her imagination to appease him, even though it sometimes frustrates her. Her behavior shows that she is docile to what John asks of her, portraying her as submissive or obedient because she fears opposition from anyone. She is also not allowed to write, but she does it secretly anyway to spite him. Outwardly, the narrator appears to be a submissive person, but her internal emotions conflict with external behavior. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Studying the yellow wallpaper, he found a woman apparently trapped behind it. The narrator then discovers that the woman in the wallpaper runs away during the day. Just like her, his initial thought is to tie her up and suppress her so she doesn't escape. The connection between the narrator and the woman trapped behind the wallpaper is that both are apparently held captive. It is a symbolic moment when the narrator finally removes the wallpaper because he finally recognizes the woman behind the wallpaper!”.