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Literaturwissenschaft

Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg

Gut, Prof. Eva-Maria Kubin, 2012/13

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Universität Salzburg UE: Academic Research Skills and Techniques in Literary Studies

Fachbereich Anglistik WS 2013


The Role of the Husband John in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and His Influence on the Protagonists Illness


When the story “Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was written, it was first introduced as a ghost story and an engaging read about mental illnesses. Not until about a century after the story was written, did the idea develop, that it was also a protest against the gender roles of the society Gilman lived in (DOCK, 18).

The main character representing those rigid positions of women and men is John, the husband of the protagonist. He is not portrait as a villain, but as loving and caring, although on the other hand he is very authoritarian, which has a strong impact on his wife and her condition.

John honestly seems to have his wife’s best interests, cure her from her condition. He makes a great effort for her, like renting the house and preparing her therapy. He also seems to love the protagonist very much, which is shown in particular in the middle of the story where he carries the narrator up the stairs and says that “[she] was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that [she] […] must take care of [herself] […] for his sake, and keep well.” (Gilman 518).

The narrator also describes another scene as affection, as well as describing him as “careful and loving” (Gilman 514).

John does not harm his wife on purpose, but he is so engaged in the gender roles of the society he lives in, that he cannot find another way of helping her, but to patronize her. In this way the husband can also be interpreted as a victim of this society(Madsen 82).

This is shown by the way he treats her: For One, John does not consult his wife or ask about her opinions or wishes, but rather tells her what to do and thereby treats her like a minor, which is noticeable in the way he deals with her illness. Particularly concerning this issue, he rigidly follows what he thinks is right, and asks her to trust him, ignoring the protests of his wife.

Moreover John does not seem to value the narrator’s views much, for he sneers whenever she tries to talk about something that is important to her. This happens for instance when the protagonist tries to talk him about the ghostly house or the wallpaper. Also John seems to cut his wife off rather often when she tries to tell him something, not letting her argue her point, so that she is never really able to express herself fully.

The story also shows a society where women had no voice in society, when. A section making this particularly obvious is where the narrator first explains about her illness and how her husband and brother say that she is not sick. There she twice uses the phrase “And what can one do?”, showing her helplessness against the authority of her male companions (Gilman 513).

The way her husband has the authority over the protagonist, makes it difficult for her to lead a self-determined life. She hast to live by his rules and is forced into the role of the domestic house wife. Another problem she is struggling with is that her husband forbids her to do many things, giving her only few activities she is allowed to occupy herself with.

She seems to feel as if she has no control over her life, which is shown in her devotion to the wallpaper, where she feels superior to the rest of the people in the house. Therefore her husband, although he does not intend it, helps drive his wife further and further away from himself and into the depth of the wallpaper, which drives her insane.

From the figure of John parallels can be drawn to Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s first husband Walter Stetson. He is described as a good man, who loved Gilman, but was also probably one of the reasons for Gilman’s depressions. (Knight 105). This conclusion can be drawn from the fact that he, Gilman felt better instantly, once she was away from Stetson and the domestic life with him.

Another similarity between John and Walter is that Walter also did not want Charlotte to write or work (!!!). A difference to the character in the story is, however, that it was not Walter that prescribed the rest cure, but Dr. Mitchell, who is also mentioned in the story and can be seen as the main villain of it. (!!!)


  1. the “nice side”

  2. paternalism

    1. reasons

      1. does not know anything else role dictated by society

      2. no high esteem of his wife: treats her like a minor

      3. society: has no voice of her own there

      4. fear of losing her

        1. writing (?)

    2. works with methods like disappointment and derision

  3. imprisonment/ effects on his wife

    1. lack of self-determination

    2. lack of things to do

    3. lack of self-esteem

      1. not being able to work: sense

      2. not being able to be useful

      3. not being able to fulfil the requirements that are asked from her

        1. getting better

        2. following the schedule

        3. NOT writing

  4. effects on the condition

    1. low self-esteem

    2. removal more and more into another world, where she knows sth/ has a portion of control

  5. How the charater of John and his relationship with the narrator reflects on Gilmans life

  6. CONCLUSION

    1. John and wife victims of society; John is unconsciously responsible for his wifes madness


Dock, Julie, ed. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and the History of Its Publication and Reception. The Pennsylvania State University Press: United States of America, 1998.

Knight, Denise, ed. The abridged diaries of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. University Press of Virginia: United States of America, 1998.

Madsen, Deborah.Feminist Theory and Literary Practice. Pluto Press: London, 2000.





7 January 2013

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