The Societal Implications Of "The Yellow Wallpaper"

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for a long time what the thing was that showed behind, that dim sub-pattern, but now I am quite sure it is a women." (665). Eventually the narrator merges her life with the life of the woman behind the wallpaper.
The ever-changing pattern of the wallpaper divided the two worlds that the narrator was living in. The front of the wallpaper represented what society expected of women during that time. Generally, a woman was to be submissive to men as well as devoting all of their time to raising perfect children (849). Gilman describes the pattern of having no true design, but says "It is repeated, of course by the breadths, but not otherwise." (662). Most women were imitating the role of housewives without question, and those women that tried to break out of the repetitious portrayals were considered blasphemous to their gender.
At the end of "The Yellow Wallpaper" the merged narrator is found creeping within the perimeter of the room. This signifies the creeping women ...

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