Behind the Yellow Wallpaper: Character Analysis
...om as “committing every artistic sin.” The wallpaper is described as an inanimate object that is only objectionable in a simple, visible manner- there is no implication that its significance extends beyond the physical realm. Implications of a greater importance do arise, though, when John, the narrator’s husband, associates a change of wallpaper with ensuing changes to the “barred windows” and “gate at the head of the stairs.” Those associations connect the wallpaper to oppressive images reminiscent of a prison and become stronger as the story progresses. Another image that occurs throughout The Yellow Wallpaper is that of “creeping,” and the end of the story sees the narrator “creep over” her husband after he faints. This term is similar to crawling, but with a darker, more sinister connotation that is particularly apparent when taken in conjunction with the narrator’s descriptions of a woman escaping from the wallpaper to creep around outside of the house. In fact, when she proclaims at the end that “I’ve got out at last,” it becomes evident that the narrator’s insanity has led her to believe that she is the woman she sees escaping from her wallpaper prison. Here again, the wallpaper is associated with restriction, in this case the limitations that John has placed on his wife as treatment for her “nervousness.” The asso...