Start and End of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Looking at literary works from the perspective of the concept of point of view, one can determine how the author’s perceptions affect the narrative. In particular, it should be remembered that fiction is not a report of facts but rather represents the author’s view of described events and their interpretation. In The Yellow Wallpaper, it can be seen how the author reveals the narrator’s declining mental health through her own perception.

As one reads the story, one can see how the narrative from a rational description is increasingly turning into a story about the subjective feelings of the author. In the first paragraphs of Gilman’s (1997) story, the narrator appears calm and even-minded. However, the mental health of the main character gradually deteriorates, which can be traced as the story develops. The narrator has a vivid imagination and is in a room with the yellow wallpaper in a rented house, which eventually drives her crazy at the end of the story. Gradually, she begins to become obsessed with the idea that a woman is hiding in the wallpaper pattern and is watching her.

Thus, the narrator’s nervousness increases from the first paragraph of the story to the last, leading to a mental crisis that is reflected in the narrative. In the opening paragraphs, the woman calmly and in detail describes the setting, her husband, and the circumstances of their move. However, towards the end, she exclusively uses phrases that she simply shouts out abruptly. In the first paragraphs, the narrator uses complete sentences, the structure of which is quite complex. In the last paragraphs, the reader can increasingly see precisely scattered exclamations that are more emotional than informative. This transformation shows the subjective view of the author, which emphasizes that the narrator is going insane.

Work Cited

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. (1997). The Yellow Wallpaper. Dover Publications.