Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Yellow Wall Papper

My initial interpretation of "The Yellow Wall Paper" was not one characterized by the supernatural. It was the exact opposite really. To me, this text was foremost a plea of a trapped woman, driven clinically insane due to confines she was forced to live within. Honestly,  the description put forth by the narrator, though scary or "creepy", could actually be an apt representation of real and logical events. Anyone would go mad with the sheer boredom of the situation. With zero stimulation or real human contact, something that is an innate human necessity, a person would most likely turn into the crawling and ripping mess that Jane ultimately transforms into.
This transformation into something completely out of characteristic of what the real Jane most likely is, is an integral part of the story. In my interpretation, this unnatural transformation is what really lends a  strange and supernatural effect to the text. Her transformation is so drastic and goes so strongly against nature that it is impressive that something so simple such as wall paper can illicit such a strong response. This is the point where, I feel, the reader can begin to question the reality of the story. Is this really happening due to some other power, or is it merely the product of an unstable woman? Is Jane projecting her thoughts and her mental anguish upon the room and the wall paper or is there really something spectral and other worldly hidden behind the walls? These are the questions I leave with after encountering " The Yellow Wall Paper."

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