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From the beginning of time, literary movements have practiced diverse methods in an attempt to portray the nature of humans and their struggles. The movement of literary realism began towards the end of the nineteenth century. Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature defines realism as “the theory or practice in art and literature of fidelity to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization in favor of close observation of outward appearances. The word has also been used critically to denote excessive minuteness of detail or preoccupation with trivial sordid, or squalid subjects in art and literature” (“Realism”). Charlotte Perkins Gilman satisfies the criteria mentioned in this definition in her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Originally published in 1892, the short story realistically portrays what happens to the mind when faced with forced inactivity, and the human desire to overcome the feeling of powerlessness. “The Yellow Wallpaper” serves as an example of Gilman’s attitude towards realism through her tendency to deconstruct the idealized visions of gender roles and domestic life, mental illness and its treatments, and outward appearances and inner life.
A characteristic of literary realism includes the depiction of specific societal structures in a non-idealized style. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman uses the relationship between the narrator and John, to eliminate the more glamorous assumptions of gender roles and domestic life. The short story depicts traditional gender roles within a family unit as they were defined during the late nineteenth century. The husband, John, is protective, logical, and the ultimate decision-maker. He treats his wife as a child, referring to her as his ‘little girl’ and regularly brushing off her complaints. His wife, the narrator, is confined to their home, and not allowed to work or write. She is considered by John to be delicate, emotional, and self-centered. Gilman depicts a realism in the sense that she views gender roles and domestic life as dreadfully repressive rather than exceptionally traditional. Gilman validates this alternative view by writing, “John is a physician, and perhaps – (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind) – perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster. You see he does not believe I am sick” (844). John is her husband and should believe her when she says she is sick, but he doesn’t because of the traditional gender roles within a family unit. He is the ultimate decision maker in the relationship, and as a physician and husband, he is making the decision that she is not suffering from postpartum depression, assuring friends and relatives ‘that there is nothing really the matter.’ Gilman uses realism in her approach to gender roles and domestic life because she does not depict gender roles and domestic life through a glamorous lens.
A characteristic of literary realism includes the portrayal of the nature of humans and their struggles. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman uses the diary entries, that make up the story, to eliminate the more fictitious assumptions of mental illness and its treatments. The short story portrays the perception and treatment of mental illness in the late nineteenth century.
The short story follows the slow decline of the narrator’s mental state, as well as John’s attempted treatments that only seemed to aggravate the decline. John is an example of a traditional attitude toward mental illness, he prescribes his wife self-control and advises against anything that may indulge her imagination or hysteria. His refusal to listen to his wife’s anxieties about her postpartum depression or to listen to any of her numerous concerns about their choice of room, leaving the house, and or her writing eventually contributes to her mental breakdown. Ultimately, she finds herself trapped, alone, and incapable of making her inner struggles understood. Gilman portrays realism in the sense that she views mental illness and its treatments as important and effective rather than irrelevant and useless. Gilman validates this alternative view by writing, “John is away all day and even some nights when his cases are serious. I am glad my case is not serious! But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing. John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him” (846). John’s refusal to listen to his wife’s anxieties about her mental state and his unsuccessful treatments only prove the perception and treatment of mental illness in the late nineteenth century. The feeling of powerlessness and the inability to communicate her inner struggles is portrayed to instill empathy among readers. Gilman uses realism in her approach to mental illness and its treatments because she does not portray mental illness and its treatments through a fictitious lens.
A characteristic of literary realism according to Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature is the “close observation of outward appearances” (“Realism”). In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman uses her short story’s form to eliminate the more melodramatic assumptions of outward appearances and inner life. The short story depicts the contradiction between the outward appearance and inner life of the narrator.
The story’s form gives readers not only the ability to look into the narrator’s inner life but the narrator’s husband’s misinterpretation of her condition as well. As her husband becomes convinced that she is improving, the reader observes her obsession with the wallpaper take a treacherous turn as her madness worsens. The logical John is not unable to understand the realities of his wife’s inner life, which is beyond his direct observation. His inability to understand the realities of his wife’s inner life causes him to faint due to shock when she inevitably, completely breaks down. Gilman depicts a realism in the sense that she views outward appearances and inner life as similar rather than contradictory. Gilman validates this alternative view by writing, “But, on the other hand, they connect diagonally, and the sprawling outlines run off in great slanting waves of optic horror, like a lot of wallowing seaweeds in the full chase” (848). The narrator’s descriptions of her home, specifically the wallpaper, add further light to the contradiction between outward appearances and inner life. Her powerful need to understand the inner life of the wallpaper that drives her to madness mirrors her attempt to understand her condition as well as the reader’s attempt to understand her story. Gilman uses realism in her approach to outward appearances and inner life because she does not depict outward appearances and inner life through a melodramatic lens.
Since the beginning, literary movements have practiced diverse methods in an attempt to portray humans and their struggles and they will continue to. “The Yellow Wallpaper” serves as an example of literary realism, the short story portrays what happens to the mind when faced with forced inactivity, and the human desire to overcome the feeling of powerlessness. Gilman’s tendency to deconstruct the idealized visions of gender roles and domestic life, mental illness and its treatments, and outward appearances and inner life creates a story that satisfies the definition of realism.
Works Cited
- Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Robert S. Levine, 9th ed., vol. C, W. W. Norton, 2017, pp. 844-855.
- “Realism.” Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature, Merriam Webster, 1995.
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