The Yellow Wallpaper
Rosemary Brown
Woessner
H205
May 13, 2014
The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gillman was a writer and social reformer, a feminist as she encouraged women to gain their independence. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born on July 3, 1860, in Hartford, Connecticut. Gilman was a writer and social activist during the late 1800s and early 1900s. She had a difficult childhood. Her father, Frederick Beecher Perkins was a relative of well-known and influential Beecher family, including the writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. But he abandoned the family, leaving Charlotte 's mother to raise two children on her own. Gilman moved around a lot as a result and her education suffered greatly for it. (website) In 1878, Gilman enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design, supporting herself as a tutor and an artist of trade cards. In 1883, Gilman published her first works, sending articles and poems to the “Providence Journal,” the “Woman’s Journal,” “The Century,” and the “Christian Register.” In 1884, Gilman married Charles Walter Stetson, and three months after their marriage, Gilman learned that she was pregnant and began to suffer from some symptoms of depression.
After the birth of her daughter, Katharine, in 1885, Gilman became overwhelmed with depression and began treatment with Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, a noticeable physician who favored the “rest cure” for the treatment of nervous disorders. Although Gilman attempted to follow Mitchell’s prescriptions, she was unable to tolerate the treatment for more than a few months. Gilman later mocked the treatment in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which she published in 1892. The narrator of the story begins her journal by admiring the amazing attributes of the house that her husband has taken them for the summer while their current house has some renovations done to it. Her husband John is also her doctor and throughout the story he seems to belittle both her illness and her thoughts and concerns in general. Her treatment of
Woessner
H205
May 13, 2014
The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gillman was a writer and social reformer, a feminist as she encouraged women to gain their independence. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born on July 3, 1860, in Hartford, Connecticut. Gilman was a writer and social activist during the late 1800s and early 1900s. She had a difficult childhood. Her father, Frederick Beecher Perkins was a relative of well-known and influential Beecher family, including the writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. But he abandoned the family, leaving Charlotte 's mother to raise two children on her own. Gilman moved around a lot as a result and her education suffered greatly for it. (website) In 1878, Gilman enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design, supporting herself as a tutor and an artist of trade cards. In 1883, Gilman published her first works, sending articles and poems to the “Providence Journal,” the “Woman’s Journal,” “The Century,” and the “Christian Register.” In 1884, Gilman married Charles Walter Stetson, and three months after their marriage, Gilman learned that she was pregnant and began to suffer from some symptoms of depression.
After the birth of her daughter, Katharine, in 1885, Gilman became overwhelmed with depression and began treatment with Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, a noticeable physician who favored the “rest cure” for the treatment of nervous disorders. Although Gilman attempted to follow Mitchell’s prescriptions, she was unable to tolerate the treatment for more than a few months. Gilman later mocked the treatment in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which she published in 1892. The narrator of the story begins her journal by admiring the amazing attributes of the house that her husband has taken them for the summer while their current house has some renovations done to it. Her husband John is also her doctor and throughout the story he seems to belittle both her illness and her thoughts and concerns in general. Her treatment of
Cited: Gillman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. 1892. Website, The biogrpahy.com. Charlotte Anna Perkins Stetson Gilman. 2014. . SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on "The Yellow Wallpaper.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2006. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.