Theme

"The Yellow Wallpaper symbolizes Imprisonment."

In "The Yellow Wallpaper" the wallpaper the narrator observes through the story is a symbol of the feminist imprisonment of the subject of marriage. In the story the narrator states, " It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide--plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions" (Page 2). The wallpaper describes marriage through the use of feminist decoration. Marriage has many ups and downs and is often a roller coaster ride. The narrator also states that, " the wallpaper connects diagonally, and the sprawling outlines run off in great slanting waves of optic horror, like a lot of wallowing seaweeds in full chase. The whole thing goes horizontally, too, at least it seems so, and i exhaust myself in trying to distinguish the order of its going in that direction." (Page 5) The narrator starts to accept the yellow wallpaper as time goes on, however this could symbolize that she is accepting her fate as an ordinary housewife and she would rather blend in completely into her unfavorable marriage than to do things that really are important to her such as writing. The narrator's husband, John, tries to restrict the narrator's talents by telling her she is very paranoid and delusional. He assigns her to mental therapy by Dr. Mitchell who is also a man, and prescribes the narrator with tonics and medicine. The narrator feels trapped into the yellow wallpaper and is feeling more connected with it day after day. She starts to accept herself as mentally sick. John's character is fully recognized when the narrator states, " I suppose John never was nervous in his life. He laughs at me so about this wall-paper! At first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient then to give way to such fancies." John then continues to say in the story, " You know this place is doing you good, and really dear I don't care to renovate the house for a three months' rental." " Then he took me by the arms and called me a blessed little goose, and said we would go down to the cellar, if i wished, and have it whitewashed into the bargain" (Page 3). John obviously treats the narrator like a child who can not stand up on her own two feet (Major themes). In the 1800's women barely worked at all besides cooking and cleaning at home. The narrator explains how she uses writing as a stress reliever and how John stands in the way of her future goals. In conclusion, the moral of the story is to not let anyone stand in the way of your dreams, don't be taken down by people's words or actions. Try to stand out from the rest of the crowd and don't feel trapped in some of life's situations. Try to brake through the barrier of the status of average, and don't let obstacles in life ( marriage, people, or family) get in the way of your success. 

Description- The theme of a story is the lesson or moral learned from a piece of literature such as a story.

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-yellow-wallpaper/study-guide/major-themes/ Click this link to explore more themes of "The Yellow Wallpaper")

http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/gilman.htm Click this link for the actual story of the "Yellow Wallpaper"