I'm guessing the women had postpartum depression. It sounded like she recently had a baby. It is unfortunate that treatment such as this was the norm. Thankfully, medicine has improved greatly over the years. Doctors thought they were helping patients by isolating them, taking away their family, and implementing all kinds of restrictions. Today treatment is the opposite. Isolation is not recommended and having family around is a huge benefit. We also have drugs now that will enhance depressed moods.
This short story seems like a good depression awareness article. Thankfully now Doctors can treat depression effectively.
Yeah I also felt like maybe she was suffering from some postpartum depression that her husband didn’t understand, and that’s not completely his fault. I mean it’s 1892, and mental illness is just not something that people have a great grasp on. Luckily today we know a lot more about the way people work and there are options other than isolation or placement in an asylum. Essentially she was placed into a padded room. Other than the story’s message about mental health I really like it as a psychological thriller. I could see it being a good “creepy” short film. I’m sure there are adaptations of it somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThis was not my first time reading The Yellow Wallpaper either, and I had the same response the first time as you did. I definitely blamed the husband for making his wife go insane, but it's hard because back then that's just how it was. The husband wasn't to blame, he was just doing what he thought was right (even though he was really annoying with his high and mighty attitude), but rather society was the culprit that forced the narrator into madness. It was society's views on women that the rest cure was based on anyway. I'm just glad that today it is not the case.
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