read the two postings and respond to each discussion post.
DISCUSS
Post substantive responses to your colleagues. Responses could include suggestions for further resources, questions of clarification, or providing context and insight. Avoid simple posts of agreement, if you agree, explain why, and then thoughtfully further the conversation.
1.Happy week 2!
”The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a fascinating exploration of mental health, gender roles, and the human psyche. The narrative’s first-person perspective and the protagonist’s descent into madness create a complex portrayal of reality and perception.
At the story’s end, when the narrator walks over to her husband, who has fainted and collapsed onto the floor, it symbolizes her ultimate rejection of the patriarchal authority that has confined her. Her husband represents the societal norms and medical establishment that have oppressed her, and her act of stepping over him signifies her liberation from these constraints. It’s a powerful moment of defiance and self-assertion, albeit tinged with tragedy due to the narrator’s deteriorating mental state.
Several themes emerge when interpreting the story through the lens of human needs and desires. The protagonist’s yearning for autonomy and self-expression speaks to the innate human desire for freedom and agency. Her confinement to the room with the yellow wallpaper symbolizes the stifling effects of societal expectations, particularly regarding gender roles. By extension, the story critiques the oppressive nature of systems that deny individuals the opportunity to fulfill their potential and express their true selves.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” shows how important it is for people to feel connected and understood. When the narrator is left alone, it makes her mental health worse, showing that we all need support when we’re struggling. Even though her husband thinks he’s helping, his lack of understanding makes things worse for her. This reminds us how crucial it is to show genuine care and understanding towards others.
Overall, even though “The Yellow Wallpaper” doesn’t have a Christian viewpoint, it still touches on basic human needs and wants. It talks about things like freedom, independence, and the need to connect with others, which are all important parts of being human.
Stetson, C. P. (n.d.). THE YELLOW WALL-PAPER. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/theliteratureofprescription/exhibitionAssets/digitalDocs/The-Yellow-Wall-Paper.pdf
2. The ending of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a touching and very thought provoking conclusion. We see in the final scene, the narrator who has descended into a state of madness peels off the wallpaper in her room to release the trapped woman she believes she can see behind it. The narrator describes the woman as creeping around the room and finally breaking free which may be symbolizing her own liberation from the oppressive forces that have confined her. The image of the said woman trapped behind the wallpaper may be seen as a reflection of the narrator herself, who is trapped in a patriarchal society that doesn’t give her her rights and independence. The narrator seeing the woman free herself can be seen as an act of liberation because the woman is breaking free from societal expectations and asserts her own independence.
This story can for sure be seen from a Christian perspective as well. God gives us all needs and desires for our lives. The main ones being wanting us to worship him and love him and to really just follow him. With the yellow wallpaper we can see the narrator ripping down the wall paper as a faith discovery, like the narrator is breaking free from sin and turning towards God. So, you can say “The Yellow Wallpaper” could be about a woman finding God in her brokenness and deciding to follow him.
God’s desires for you: A biblical… Love Worth Finding Ministries. (n.d.). https://www.lwf.org/gods-desires-for-you-a-biblical-guide#:~:text=God%20Desires%20Us%20to%20Worship,no%20better%20than%20the%20demons.
Grogan, C. (2020). Authoring america-vol.3.pdf. Google Drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KKkmx-x6HQCpHo5LM0BJxCIQNGkyPzRg/preview
