Yellow Wallpaper: Literary Devices to Present Ideas & Themes - Essay Sample

Introduction

A literary device is an aspect of structure to works of literature that help the writer present an idea or theme to the writer. Standard literary devices include; Setting, Symbolism, Irony, Alliteration, Geographical/Historical allusion, Parenthesis, among others. Like salt to food, literary devices add color and texture to literature, which would otherwise be bland or annoying to the reader/audience. The paper aims to explain how the author of Yellow Wallpaper has used literary devices to present various themes.

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Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was first published in 1892 courtesy of the Magazine, New England. It is considered to be feminist literature as it appears to heavily advocate for the mental and physical health of 19th Century Women (Levenson, James, 13). It depicts a couple spending their summer holiday in a haunted house. The husband, forcefully subjects the wife to rest as a recovery for a previous birth (Post-partum).

The unnamed woman is not allowed to work or do anything productive. The house imposes an uneasy, strange feeling. It is in a secluded place, and the room she occupies looks like a prison cell, from the morbid/depressing choice of painting to the grilled windows. So, how does the author use the literary devices of setting, symbolism, and Irony to bring out various themes in Yellow Wallpaper?

Setting

The setting is about when and where (time/place) of the story. Including, but not limited to, climate, geographical location, social and economic surroundings. The story setting is in a secluded place away from human interaction. Other than that, the house appears to be a haunted place, which raises superstition. The themes presented by the setting include; Oppression/suffering and Rebellion. Oppression in that the woman is left alone by the husband to face the post-partum depression alone. She is forced to do things like; resting in the name of recovery and spending time alone.

Her best reaction is to rebel passively by writing down her depressing experiences in the room. It is said that People write because No one listens. John, her husband, is possibly, willfully ignorant of the fact that while the room may present physical and emotional healing, it is not suitable for his wife’s psychological health. The setting is also in a historical allusion of the 19th Century America. Women had little say in a predominantly patriarchal society. The woman has little choice but to obey the wishes of her husband.

Symbolism

Symbolism is the use of visual objects to present ideas or evoke certain emotions. The secluded house and the gloom around it present two aspects associated with the state of women in that time. The first is Mental Health issues. Mental Health has often been neglected, especially in olden times, the 18th Century and earlier. People assume that health is always about the physical part. The truth is that studies of psychosomatic medicine show that health also includes; mental/psychological soundness.

Secondly, the woman has no immediate access to professional help. Since they are in a secluded place. The house and its depiction is a symbol of society where people may look healthy physically but are under enormous mental pressure. Stigma is attached to those who open up and seek help. Thus thousands, if not millions, suffer in silence. It is not yet apparent to John and his Wife, why few come to visit the place on holidays because the place gives off a gloomy feeling.

Irony

Irony is where events go contrary to what is expected. The Irony presented here is that the summer house was supposed to be for holiday and relaxation. It turned out to bring psychological distress. The woman’s husband is a Doctor but, ironically, does not detect Post-Partum depression (possibly) in the wife. A good doctor is supposed to have a ‘third eye’ for unseen problems. The house is painted yellow, a color that evokes feelings of relaxation and happiness. Nevertheless, ironically, evokes unease and distress for the woman.

The Yellow Wallpaper above all presents the Female as the less-empowered and discriminated against, of the two sexes. Being Feminist literature, it presents the fact that Women have a say on what to do with their life. Freedom of Expression is a human right. To the apt and avid reader, this is written down in between the lines of the story. In invisible ink. The unsaid.

Work Cited

Levenson, James L. Essentials of psychosomatic medicine. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2007.