Freedom and Individualism
A distinctive theme that can be seen throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper” is freedom and individualism. The main reasons that the narrator has mental problems has is because she wasn't able to live the life that she wanted to. If the narrator was able to write or express herself in some way her problems might have been avoided, or lessened.
The theme that deals with freedom corresponds with the woman feeling that she does not have any freedom in her life. The narrator feels controlled by her environment, specifically her husband, because of the room she has to live in. The woman has no say in where she will live, all the decisions are up to her husband (Leed 3). Due to the strictness of how the woman has to live she feels imprisoned in her own home. This imprisonment relates to the lack of freedom that many women in the 1800s had to deal with. Not only does the woman not have the freedom to choose what house she wants to live in she cannot even choose what room she wants to live in (Stetson 648). According to Leed, “Writing is the only thing that’s keeping her sane, but she is unable to do it freely” (1). Without freedom the likelihood of someone going crazy increases. The lack of choice leads to a loss of her to choose her behaviors and subsequently her ability to control her mind.
A theme of individualism is also prevalent in the story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator is not allowed to be herself or an individual because of the oppression that society puts on her and may women at that time. The narrator says, “I wanted one [a room] downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! But John would not hear of it” (Stetson 648). The woman has her own tastes and ideas for her life, but she is not allowed to see them through because of her gender. If the narrator was able to express herself as an individual she might have gotten better. According to the article “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the idea of self-expression was a necessity for the woman not a luxury (3). Throughout the story the woman is not allowed to be herself, because she has to be who her husband wants her to be.
The theme that deals with freedom corresponds with the woman feeling that she does not have any freedom in her life. The narrator feels controlled by her environment, specifically her husband, because of the room she has to live in. The woman has no say in where she will live, all the decisions are up to her husband (Leed 3). Due to the strictness of how the woman has to live she feels imprisoned in her own home. This imprisonment relates to the lack of freedom that many women in the 1800s had to deal with. Not only does the woman not have the freedom to choose what house she wants to live in she cannot even choose what room she wants to live in (Stetson 648). According to Leed, “Writing is the only thing that’s keeping her sane, but she is unable to do it freely” (1). Without freedom the likelihood of someone going crazy increases. The lack of choice leads to a loss of her to choose her behaviors and subsequently her ability to control her mind.
A theme of individualism is also prevalent in the story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The narrator is not allowed to be herself or an individual because of the oppression that society puts on her and may women at that time. The narrator says, “I wanted one [a room] downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! But John would not hear of it” (Stetson 648). The woman has her own tastes and ideas for her life, but she is not allowed to see them through because of her gender. If the narrator was able to express herself as an individual she might have gotten better. According to the article “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the idea of self-expression was a necessity for the woman not a luxury (3). Throughout the story the woman is not allowed to be herself, because she has to be who her husband wants her to be.