In Charlotte P Gilmans “The Yellow Wall-Paper”, how is the theme of identity used?
The Yellow Wallpaper was written in 1899, but describes a vivid transition and loss of a woman’s identity through illness, loneliness and growing despair that is as believable today as at the turn of the century when little was known of depression, paranoia or treatment for emotional stress. The story is written in first person, in the form of journal entries, by a woman who has recently given birth and is not well. Her doting husband cares for her, but at the same time restricts her movement, communication and contact with the outside world. Her psyche is represented by the increasingly threatening wallpaper in the room where she is becoming weaker and more isolated by the day. Each entry in the journal describes her increased disconnect with reality, no longer identifying with the world outside, but instead fixated on the intricate, never-ending design of the wallpaper that she stares at all day. Eventually she sees a slight movement and then shadowy figures in the paper, ultimately
