In The Yellow Wallpaper, Why Is the Main Character Spending Time at the Colonial Mansion?
The narrator spends the summer in a colonial mansion’s former nursery. As part of the rest therapy, her doctor spouse locks her up in the structure. It was a common remedy for “temporary nervous depression” following childbirth. Yet she cannot survive in this gloomy environment. The woman is driven nuts by it.
The wife of the doctor, who has recently given birth to a kid, tells the tale. She experiences “hysterical” symptoms, like many women of her era do. Her “rest cure” is prescribed by her husband. It entails being confined to bed, being alone, and eating a lot of meat. John forces her to stay in the same room while he hires an old estate for the summer in order to accomplish this.
The protagonist first enjoys the mansion. She thinks the location is eerie and Gothic. She wonders how they managed to rent it at such a low price. There might be a supernatural presence there. Yet it’s a simple explanation. In addition to inheritance disagreements, the mansion is dilapidated. Its dilapidated condition improves the story’s imagery. As a result of her husband’s neglect and abuse, the setting resembles the character’s mental state.
Beyond its outward appearance, the mansion plays a significant role in the narrative. It is an illustration of the domestic lifestyle that was deemed ideal for women. Due to her physical and mental limitations, the character is imprisoned in the building by male authority. But far of alleviating her health issues, the routine and solitude make things worse. It is a suffocating, antiquated structure that is already in danger of collapsing. The reader realizes how absurd it is to try to keep the woman there for her own benefit.
