The Yellow Wallpaper

In class on Tuesday we discussed how some writers may create texts to affect change in a society. After reading The Yellow Wallpaper, I agree that Perkins Gilman is one of these writers. Many women are manipulated in men in this society and is a concept that has been around for centuries. I believe that Gilman is trying to fight for women rights' by portraying Mary to be the oblivious woman in The Yellow Paper. "He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction." (356) Mary believes that her husband is so careful and loving because it looks like he cares for her but what I got out of this passage was that he didn't allow her to make her own decisions and she doesn't see that is what John is really trying to do, manipulate her. She begins by writing how John believes she has a nervous depression and she disagrees with their opinions. She is on many medications and doesn't know what any of them are for. This was one of the first things she mentioned that grabbed my attention at her being oblivious. In my opinion, someone taking medicine everyday would ask what they were taking and how it is supposed to help them. Mary tells us that John does not like it when she writes but also says that she loves to write. This is another instance where John is controlling and manipulating her because as soon as she sees him she hides it. "There comes John, and I must put this away, --he hates to have me write a word." (356) I had many different mixed feelings about John not allowing her to write. The first thought was him manipulating her by not allowing her to do the things she loves. However, I also thought, and this could be far fetched, that possibly he was crazy and later down the road he wouldn't want anyone to find her readings so someone else may realize what he was doing to her the whole time.