"What is the Symbolism of the "Yellow Wallpaper?"

      Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. "The Yellow Wallpaper" furthermore symbolizes the way women were perceived during the 19th century (p.1) The wallpaper cannot be categorized into any particular "type". It contains patterns and curves that all deny one another, and it can be seen the same could be said for Jane's emotions during this time.The nursery is a symbol of the way women of this time were seen as being on the same level as children. The barred windows are symbols of the confinement of women during this time with respect to the perception of what a woman's role was. There role was to stay home in the kitchen and cook. They always made sure the house was clean. The men thought the women werent intelligent enough. The "Yellow Wallpaper" exemplifies women's lives is difficult in this age where women have more freedom than ever before. In 1892 the critics saw "The Yellow Wallpaper" as a description of female insanity and mayem instead of a story that reveals society's values. That sentence means that women were mentally ill and violent back then because they didnt have any freedom and they were under depression (p.6). As for actions,  Jane is tearing down the wallpaper in an attempt. The woman in the wallpaper represents he struggle to retain or regain her sanity. The wallpaper has been part of her confinement and by her tearing it down, she is tearing herself a part. In other words, the wallpaper symbolizes the feelings of a woman back then. As time passes by, Jane tells us that she began to notice a woman behind bars shaking vigorously in the wallpaper, but she also mentioned to us that she only saw this image at night when the moonlight shined upon it. Perhaps this represents the only time when a woman felt free from the behavior of her husband in the 1800′s. Or maybe it really is because she was starting to have a “real” illness, a mental illness that is.

 

  Links to Souces
These sources were valuable to me because it gave me some ideas of symbolism to write about on "The Yellow Wallpaper".

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/symbolism
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/liselle.htm
 

This picture shows you a woman that made a poster that says, "We want our rights & we want them Now!" This is exactly what Gilman faced in her lifetime, she didnt have any rights or freedom.

 

Definiton of Category

 

Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.