Caved Walls

 The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins can be assumed as an escaped that she used. Perkins had suffered from what she describes as "severe and continuous nervous breakdown[s] tending to melancholia -- and beyond. After suffering for three years, she sought out a specialist in hopes of receiving help, guidance, and treatment. This specialist advised Perkins to "live as domestic a life as far as possible" and to "never touch pen, brush, or pencil again as long as [she] lived". In words of today, the specialist practically told her to crush and ignore her creativity. In today's world, we know that is far from true in terms of a treatment. Creativity and imagination can be thought of as an escape. Perkins quickly realized this while following the specialist's order and came close to the "border line of utter mental ruin". When she wrote The Yellow Wallpaper, although she does not explicitly write in first person or say a name, it is about her and her life while describing her struggles. While describing experiences, the wallpaper comes into play as a symbol of the constraints she was under through the specialist's recommendations and societal traps. Even though paper on the wall does not sound monumental, the meaning it holds will soon become revolutionary. Not only was this piece of writing an escape from her own personal melancholy, but when published it started to raise awareness. People started to morph their perspective on treatment, mental health, and the approach taken towards this concept, especially in women. Additionally, as if this piece didn't accomplish enough during it's time, it saved a women suffering the same mental struggle as Perkins and it would be hard to believe if there weren't hundreds or thousands of other women as well. Specialists and doctors altered their treatment and advice towards patients coming to them with similar experiences like Perkins, after the publishing spread rapidly. A small short story can do a lot in the world of mental health, even if the title about a simple commodity on the wall. 


https://lithub.com/the-lesser-known-life-behindthe-yellow-wallpaper/


Comments

  1. Anna Claire MillerApril 29, 2023 at 2:57 PM

    Genna, this was so lovely! I liked how you honed in on Perkins’ personal life and the path it took for her to write this piece. I had never thought of the connection between creativity and mental illness. I think this is so important to understand in this story and how the lack of a creative outlet only worsened her melancholy. This also shows the power of creativity and how it impacts us and our mental health.

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  2. chloe s AoMApril 30, 2023 at 8:27 PM

    Although it was mentioned in class that The Yellow Wallpaper helped to change the societal perception of mental health, your post helped me understand the depths of that.Your point about the advice Perkins was given by the doctors being the opposite of what we know is true now, could is exactly proven by her accepting her creativity and allowing it to flourish and heal her. It was a huge step forward that the widespread publishing of it caused doctors to reevaluate and change their practices, as well as the countless women it must’ve given voices to.

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