Free Essay On The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper is an interesting story that highlights issues affecting women and the bondage they at times have to go through due to the weakness they display. It is a heartbreaking story that shows the extend a woman’s imagination can take her if the root cause of her issues are not taken care of and well handled. Just when one thought that reading the story was interesting, its film adaptation is even more heartbreaking as the literature is turned into images. One can almost empathize with the issues that are facing a woman who is not getting adequate attention from the man he trusts the most. Her already weak situation is worsened by a lack of proper attention that takes her into a world of imagination. Her obsession with the yellow wall paper is symbolic of her loneliness and not being given a chance to widen her scope of imagination.
The adaptation shows a woman who has been neglected, first by her physical condition, and second by her psychological condition. The fact that she has been bound from doing any physical activities has been reflected in her mind where she feels she has no power to make even the slightest of the decisions in the home (Liang-qin 33). The story line displays how much a physical illness can incapacitate a woman and even affecting her ability to reason and make other decisions. The story also tells of a male dominated society, where a woman has no power to make even the simplest decision of changing a wallpaper or even residence. Just because she is not participating in other activities that pertain to her responsibility, the man denies her even the power to decide on the kind of wallpaper to be on the windows.
Reading the story, one may be quick to dismiss it as merely a piece of entertainment with a fairy tale and not a reality of the situation. However, as one watches its film adaptation, it spurs their imaginations further, as they realize that it is not just an entertainment movie but a true reflection of what was going through in many homesteads. One comes to realize the kind of bondage that women were in, due to their illiteracy. The woman had a physical condition, which she needed support to make life meaningful and reasonable for her. The man she relied on for such support instead gave her the opposite of what she expected (Perkins Gilman 45). Instead of acting in a way that will make the woman feel and realize her value, the man devalues her further by implying that there is nothing she can do, let a lone make a decision on the kind of wallpaper in her house.
The story reveals of the tough situations that women were caught up in by not having the ability to convince their husbands about simple decisions in the house. The controlling nature of the men made them insensitive to the deteriorating psychological condition of their women. The film depicts a reaction from the man, which proves that he no longer cares about the feelings of the woman. He is not keen at doing anything that would at least put a smile on his face and give hem hope to live the next day. The woman, having nothing left to control, the only place she finds freedom of choice is in her mind. She fixes her attention on the wallpaper, which becomes the root cause of her distress and consequently the destruction of her life and family. The tragedy, which could have been easily solved by changing the wall paper, turned up dangerously for the family.
Despite the segregation that women face in the society, the story, both in written and film display the power they have in their homes. Woman has been and will always be a strong pillar in the home. Despite the fact that the woman was incapacitated and unable to make nay decision, everything revolved around her. Even the author of the novel and director of the film could not ignore the important role of a woman, even if she did nothing in her home. The fact that she spent all her time gazing at the wallpaper and even drawing up images that were not necessarily there makes the center of attention. Being ignored did not translate to he being incapable of influencing. She even made the man wonder why she was so much obsessed about the wallpaper and even coming up with some imaginations that amazed the man and even the audience. This means that when a woman decides to fix her attention on something, she has the ability of making her imaginations a reality, whether she is given the support or not. The most powerful tool as depicted in the story that a woman has is her imaginations and influence. She imagined something out of wallpaper, pictured it in real life and ultimately started behaving as per her imaginations (Perkins Gilman 76). It is ironical that at the end of the story, the man behaves as if she was shocked at the turn of events. He must have been shocked at the fact that the woman still had control of the home, even when she had been denied the very power of control.

Works cited

Liang-qin, M. I. "Neo-historical reading of The Yellow Wallpaper." Journal of Xinyu College 4 (2008): 005.
Perkins Gilman, Charlotte. "The yellow wallpaper." The Yellow Wall-Paper and (1973).