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VOL. 11, ISSUE 4 (2025)
The darkness within: Gothic reflections of female oppression leads to madness in the select short story of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s the yellow wallpaper
Authors
S Srinivetha, Dr. V Srividhya
Abstract
The Yellow Wallpaper is a
semi-autobiographical short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s a
Utopian feminist. The article emphasizes the study of madness when it affects
women and its causes. The narrator's descent into madness is mirrored in the
creepy, decaying house and the wallpaper's eerie presence. Through a
psychoanalytic lens, the story explores the narrator's inner turmoil and
repressed emotions. Her husband, a physician, dismisses her feelings and
imposes his own interpretations, symbolizing the patriarchal suppression of
female desires and identities. The short story deals with a female protagonist
who is trapped in a world that controls every aspect of their existence. The
protagonist's fixation on the wallpaper represents her growing dissociation and
rebellion against societal expectations. The story aims to go beyond the actual
illness and socially constructed definitions to investigate the implications of
insanity and the causes that lead to a woman being labelled mad. The Gothic
atmosphere highlights the isolation, oppression, and the blurring of reality. The
result of this analysis shows that female characters may appear to have a less
powerful role in society throughout Gilman's works. The story explores the
patriarchal norms of the time and damages the effects of dismissed women's
mental health and autonomy. This story The Yellow Wallpaper aimed to convey the
protagonist 's psychological state and the societal commentary.
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Pages:1-3
How to cite this article:
S Srinivetha, Dr. V Srividhya "The darkness within: Gothic reflections of female oppression leads to madness in the select short story of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s the yellow wallpaper". International Journal of English Research, Vol 11, Issue 4, 2025, Pages 1-3
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