From Compliance to Resistance

【Abstract】The Yellow Wallpaper is the American female author Charlotte Perkins Gilmans short novel published in 1892 and has been regarded as a masterpiece of early feminist literature. It was narrated by a woman imprisoned in an isolated room decorated with ugly and ghostly yellow wallpaper. The narrator experiences the journey—at first being willingly conformed to the hypocritical paternity， then realized its opposition in disguise， and finally rises up resisting the repressed patriarchy.

【Key words】Charlotte Perkins Gilman； patriarchy； conformity； awakening； struggle

【作者簡介】周金華（1990.08-），女，漢族，湖南漣源人，湖南交通工程學院，英語語言文學碩士，助教，從事大學英語教學、英語文學研究。

1. The Silent， Docile Woman Conforms to the Opposition

Charlotte Perkins Gilman （1860-1935）， Virginia Woolf and Betty Friedan were regarded as the three “symbolic mothers” of Western feminist. Gilmans best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” which she wrote after a severe bout of postpartum psychosis （cited from encyclopedia）.

The narrator was diagnosed as neurasthenia or hysteria. In the 19th century in America， science began to rise to an increasing important position and was getting more and more discursive power in society， particularly in the professional field like physiology. So its authoritative what physician had prescribed. The female protagonist suffered from the feeling that her marriage and her giving birth to her baby ruined all her life， and she was irritatingly sensitive. If she was in twenty-first century， it would be diagnosed as the basic symptom of postpartum depression and surely was easily and reasonably cured. Her husband was a physician of high standing； her brother was also a physician with high social position. Yet， they two shared the idea that the narrator was not sick. They believed and assured people around them believe that there is nothing the matter with out but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency. A woman at the time was economically dependent on men either on her father or her husband. There are few ways for her to get out. So she was repressed and forced to be a docile wife in the house. Yet， the narrator personally disagreed with their ideas. She thought congenial work would do her good. In the late 18th to 19th century， women were disciplined to be meek in character， tender in physical health， and dependent both physically and mentally on men. In the man-dominated society， women were forbidden to work on the majority of occupations. Female writing was especially despised by the mainstream society. However， the narrator loved writing and its the major effective way to channel her depression and pressure. Writing down what she fancied and imagined， the narrator gained relief from this process.

At the beginning， she felt guilty and ungrateful not to value her husband Johns caring and directions. As all his doing was out of caring and loving her， she silently accepted it without resistance， at least no rebellion before him. Personally， she disagreed with their ideas on her treatment. Yet， helpless and incapable， she reserved， more precisely oppressed her disapproval. She was forbidden to “work” before recovery. At first， she gave up on writing and followed her husbands direction. Body was bound， and mental activities like fantasy and imagination were also cut off. So she privately thought that if John was not a physician， she might have got well faster. Doubt in John， who was representative of traditional strong patriarchy， was growing in her mind. Not only her range of activities was limited and many of her action watched， but also her time of sleep and diet was instructed by the authoritative husband. The narrator has a schedule prescription for each hour in the day and was made sleep one hour after each meal.

When she came to the rented old house， a feeling of ghostliness haunted her. Isolated from the village， the house was really quiet and seemed a perfect place for her recovery. Everything seemed satisfactory except the ugly wallpaper. She tried to communicate seriously with her husband and talked about the house， but was rebutted by him. When she sensed Johns impatience， she retreated. This comprise exposed her powerless position and infirm commitment to rebellion. The fact was that unmarried women in the 18th century were extremely bound to their parents and then bound to their husband. They were settled in a passively unfavorable status； they were asked to be docile， tender and conform to what the society assented. The narrator though had tried to talk with her husband earnestly， her husband always laughed at her as any dominating men would have done. When she wanted to move to the room downstairs， John pretended to be willing to do everything only for her good even move to the basement as long as it would benefit her health； yet， he ruthlessly neglected her feeling and never cared for her emotion.

John had promised to invent the narrators cousins to company her， but he broke his word and hypocritically declares that her stimulating cousins were no better than fireworks in pillow-case. Beside separated from normal social communication， she was mercilessly deprived of the right of mother. She cannot see her baby and for her babys sake she must control herself and abandon fancying. However， she hadnt learned that she was losing her subjectivity and lived in the strict control of the representative of patriarchy—John.

At this period， she was under heavy opposition and unaware of the hypocrisy and pretension of patriarchy， thus she behaved meekly and silently shouldered what patriarchy threw upon her.

2. Self-consciously Awakening Woman Struggles

The narrator was almost imprisoned in a haunted room at the top of the house. Though the room was spacious， airy with abundant sunshine， the windows were barred， the heavy bedstead was settled， and the wallpaper stick to the wall. All these are symbols of bound and suppression. John was a famous physician. He was out for patients in daytime and backed to the house to accompany his wife at night. On the surface， the narrator was well cared and her husband seemed love and care about her very much. However， the woman was unhappy and let alone to free.

Being carefree of material things， she begun to pursue her mental desires. She wrote before diagnosis with depression. They partly attributed her illness to her writing. Female writing in the 19th century was considered despicable and even immoral. The men-dominated literary world sneered at women writers. Ideal incarnations of women are tender， delicate， docile， and center on family， especially husband and kids. Their independent mind and thinking must give away to the male and traditional requirements. The heroines madness from aphasia to epiphany reveals the embarrassing situation of the middle-class women under the double oppressions from society and male in 19th century and show how the woman searched for herself and liberation，thus proving the importance of womens freedom and self-empowerment， and the necessity of female independence and struggle against the patriarchy.

The narrator often indulged in fantasy and imagination. With her fancying the house and the wallpaper， her self-consciousness began to waken. Deceived by Johns hypocritical affection and promises， she at first bowed to his will and conformed to his direction. Finding that he could not keep his word， she started to hide her writing and often stayed in her room all day thinking her condition and studying the yellow wallpaper. Up to now， she changed from repulsing the room to be curious about it and thus willing to stay in it. Her obvious repelling the haunted room turned into self-willed exploration of herself. She studied the yellow wallpaper all day long， and found the struggling women inside the wallpaper. Inspired by the shaking， pulling and dragging， she first frightened by it， but then joined in them， helping the woman inside getting out the wall. The wallpaper represented the harsh opposition of patriarchy. Women inside were repressed by the institution and suffered from suppression. The narrators standing on their side symbolizes the union of awakening women.

Contrasted to the narrator， Johns sister was the ideal angel in the house. Her name not mentioned， which indicates her loss of subjectivity and affiliation to men. She had been trained to be docile and a helpful housekeeper like a running flesh. What shocked us is not her conformity to the patriarchy， but her willingness to be a slaver and a complice of the paternity. She was a victim of that society and initiatively helped her brother keep watch on her sister-in-law. Her disciplined action has internalized a kind of inner colonization. Her self-consciousness had swallowed by the strong and omnipresent patriarchy.

The narrator locked herself in the top room and the key was put down by the front door under a plantain leaf. When John came in the room， he was shocked by what he saw. The woman in the room was creeping on the floor and most of the wallpaper was pulled off by her. She has been under a powerful repressed system and when she awakened， an extreme twisted form of resistance was applied. On the one hand， she was driven to madness for she was imprisoned in an isolated room and was watched by the representatives or the slavers of patriarchy. On the other hand， she successfully liberated herself inclusive of body and mind， since she dared to creep over John and no longer pretended to control over her fantasy and imagination. Mad as she was， she led her indignant struggles. Through this unnatural way， she came to get rid of the patriarchic repression and be will-free and independent in thought.

She pretended to sleep at night because she got a little afraid of John. Realizing the unfavorable position， she shunned from dangers. Making the most use of her available situation， she kept in her room and hid the woman inside the wall to protect her. Conforming to their direction on surface， she hid her intention on saving the woman under opposition and fought with them against their shared enemy.

3. Conclusion

The Yellow Wallpaper is Gilmans semi-biography short story. The narrators getting mad in the novel reveals the harsh condition of women in the 19th century and the process of gaining female rights is full of thorns and the way to female freedom and independence is also filled with twists and turns. The woman in The Yellow Wallpaper awakens from conformed to patriarchy to struggle against it. This novel conveys the aspirations and expectation for female rights. As the forerunner of feminism movement， Gilmans unconventional lifestyle demonstrated her declaration of female independence. The mad woman integrates with the woman behind the yellow wallpaper， forming an independent subject possessing her own free-will and thoughts. Although at the cost of sanity， she actually triumphs over the obstinate patriarchic dominance.

參考文獻：

[1]陳芳.爾曼小說《黃色墻紙》中的女性角色分析[J].外國文學， 2012，5，1.