Character profile
The Yellow wallpaper gives us the background of a woman who is the narrator in which
she suffers from postpartum depression and anxiety. Her name is Jane, and her husband is a
physiatrist named John. Jane hid her journal because she felt misunderstood and not supported, so
she would hide her true feelings because she felt like they were being neglected. People who have
a mental illness need a healthy support system. On days, it gets tough for the person to do anything
because their mental illness has taken control of them. They have someone there reminding them
that they can do it and that they’re powerful and brave.
Jane is a very imaginative person from the beginning of the story. While suffering from
postpartum depression and anxiety, she starts imagining the wallpaper in the room. “John is so
pleased to see me improve! He laughed a little the other day and said I seemed to be flourishing
despite my wallpaper. I turned it off with a laugh. I had no intention of telling him it was because
of the wallpaper—he would make fun of me. He might even want to take me away. I don’t want to
leave now until I have found it out.” Jane feels as if she would be judged if she spoke upon her
wallpaper and her obsession with it.
Jane is suffering, and she starts losing sight of her reality and gets more driven into
her wallpaper day by day. This had all started when she began a journal to get everything that has
been in her mind. “I’ve got out at last, despite you and Jane.” This seems like the narrator was
speaking to herself and trying to understand who she was because she was lost and confused.
Jane needs to lose full control of herself to understand what she is truly going through. No
one has believed her. Even her husband, a physiatrist, didn’t believe her at all and thought she was
faking it. If a physician of high standing, and one’s husband, assures friends and relatives that there
is nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—
what is one to do?” She has no hope with her husband. She feels like no one will be there to
Jane is hopeless because her husband didn’t believe her; her husband takes it lightly to deal
with something. Jane has negative thoughts, and it then revolves around the yellow wallpaper. “I
never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before, and we all know how much expression
they have! I used to lie awake as a child and get more entertainment and terror out of blank walls,
and plain furniture than most children could find in a toy-store. I remember what a kindly wink the
knobs of our big, old bureau used to have, and there was one chair that always seemed like a strong
friend.” Jane is thinking about how, even as a child, the blank walls would be more entertaining to
her, which is quite interesting because even now, the walls are more fun to her. Still, most of all, it
is deteriorating her health. She is suffering from both postpartum depression and anxiety.
Her wallpaper is her imagination and gets away from people; Jane is her only support. “I
sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus—but
John says the very worst thing I can do is think about my condition, and I confess it always makes
me feel bad. So I will let it alone and talk about the house.” People Who have mental illness feel
lonely and don’t feel like they could be understood.
Jane feels like she is looked at weirdly because of what she has been going through.
Anytime she tried confronting her husband, he didn’t take her seriously, which is why she needed
that journal because she was suffering.
The Yellow wallpaper gives us the background of a woman who is the narrator in which
she suffers from postpartum depression and anxiety. Her name is Jane, and her husband is a
physiatrist named John. Jane hid her journal because she felt misunderstood and not supported, so
she would hide her true feelings because she felt like they were being neglected. People who have
a mental illness need a healthy support system. On days, it gets tough for the person to do anything
because their mental illness has taken control of them. They have someone there reminding them
that they can do it and that they’re powerful and brave.
Jane is a very imaginative person from the beginning of the story. While suffering from
postpartum depression and anxiety, she starts imagining the wallpaper in the room. “John is so
pleased to see me improve! He laughed a little the other day and said I seemed to be flourishing
despite my wallpaper. I turned it off with a laugh. I had no intention of telling him it was because
of the wallpaper—he would make fun of me. He might even want to take me away. I don’t want to
leave now until I have found it out.” Jane feels as if she would be judged if she spoke upon her
wallpaper and her obsession with it.
Jane is suffering, and she starts losing sight of her reality and gets more driven into
her wallpaper day by day. This had all started when she began a journal to get everything that has
been in her mind. “I’ve got out at last, despite you and Jane.” This seems like the narrator was
speaking to herself and trying to understand who she was because she was lost and confused.
Jane needs to lose full control of herself to understand what she is truly going through. No
one has believed her. Even her husband, a physiatrist, didn’t believe her at all and thought she was
faking it. If a physician of high standing, and one’s husband, assures friends and relatives that there
is nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—
what is one to do?” She has no hope with her husband. She feels like no one will be there to
Jane is hopeless because her husband didn’t believe her; her husband takes it lightly to deal
with something. Jane has negative thoughts, and it then revolves around the yellow wallpaper. “I
never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before, and we all know how much expression
they have! I used to lie awake as a child and get more entertainment and terror out of blank walls,
and plain furniture than most children could find in a toy-store. I remember what a kindly wink the
knobs of our big, old bureau used to have, and there was one chair that always seemed like a strong
friend.” Jane is thinking about how, even as a child, the blank walls would be more entertaining to
her, which is quite interesting because even now, the walls are more fun to her. Still, most of all, it
is deteriorating her health. She is suffering from both postpartum depression and anxiety.
Her wallpaper is her imagination and gets away from people; Jane is her only support. “I
sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus—but
John says the very worst thing I can do is think about my condition, and I confess it always makes
me feel bad. So I will let it alone and talk about the house.” People Who have mental illness feel
lonely and don’t feel like they could be understood.
Jane feels like she is looked at weirdly because of what she has been going through.
Anytime she tried confronting her husband, he didn’t take her seriously, which is why she needed
that journal because she was suffering.
Postpartum Depression (research)
Many people have a mental illness. People who suffer from them often feel like there is a
toll on their day to day life. It makes it harder for people who have a mental illness. People may
particularly look at you because they won’t understand how you feel. People tend to distance
themself when they go through things. Postpartum Depression is a perfect example of one mental
Illness; many people may not understand.
Postpartum is defined as “the time after childbirth. Most women get the “baby blues,” or
feel sad or empty, within a few days of giving birth. For many women, the baby blues go away in 3
to 5 days. If your baby blues don’t go away or you feel sad, hopeless, or empty for longer than two
weeks, you may have Postpartum Depression. They feel hopeless or empty after childbirth is not a
regular or expected part of being a mother” (women health pg 1). When a woman gives birth, she
has withdrawal symptoms because of so much the woman has to go through, from a lot of pain and
pressure to break many bones. Even before birth is so hard for women because they are carrying a
baby inside them; they have to be very careful when pregnant.
People have trouble understanding how severe a mental illness postpartum Depression is.
“Postpartum Depression is a serious mental illness that involves the brain and affects your behavior
and physical health. If you have Depression, then sad, flat, or empty feelings, don’t go away and
interfere with your day-to-day life. You might feel unconnected to your baby, as if you are not the
baby’s mother, or you might not love or care for the baby. These feelings can be mild to severe”
(Womenshealth pg 2). Postpartum Depression is not as standard if you think because one in nine
new mothers get it.
There are specific reasons people get postpartum Depression, and one of them maybe
hormonal changes because, during pregnancy, hormones are at their peak.
It has shown in studies women who were already depressed still leave the hospital being upset. “Of
the 58 women depressed before delivery, 38 were still depressed at the postpartum assessment”
(M. CHANDRAN pg 3). Women often don’t speak upon it or don’t seek help because they are
afraid to do so, especially in communities where mental health is stigmatized and not considered
an essential matter.
It is hard for pregnant women to take medication, especially if they are breastfeeding their
children. “Medication for perinatal mood episodes are difficult; they must be made by
extrapolating the data available for their use at other times of women’s lives” (Jones pg 1). Women
deal with a lot during their pregnancy, and then having to suffer from a mental illness makes it
very hard on them.
If postpartum Depression is not treated, many things can happen, lack of energy, Inability
to focus on essential essentials, feeling out of character, and having more frequent suicidal
thoughts. Many things come into play when suffering from postpartum Depression. “Feeling like a
bad mother can make Depression worse. It is important to reach out for help if you feel depressed.
“Researchers believe Postpartum Depression in a mother can affect her child throughout
childhood” (Womenshealth pg 3). It can bring adverse effects to the child because there’s always a
special connection, and it is said that the child can feel what the mother is feeling. So, for example,
if the mother is sad, the child will be unhappy as well.
There are many ways to cope at home when not feeling too well from postpartum
Depression. Mothers who suffer from other mental illnesses can end up having Postpartum
psychosis. “Postpartum psychosis is rare. It happens in up to 4 new mothers out of every 1,000
births. It usually begins in the first two weeks after childbirth. It is a medical emergency. Women
who have bipolar disorder or another mental health condition called schizoaffective disorder have a
higher risk of postpartum psychosis.” (womenshealth pg 1)This is when it gets very severe and
needs to get checked upon.
When a person has postpartum psychosis, there are many symptoms such as “Seeing or
hearing things that aren’t there, Feeling confused most of the time, Having rapid mood swings
within several minutes (for example, crying hysterically, then laughing a lot, followed by extreme
sadness), Trying to hurt yourself or your baby Paranoia (thinking that others are focused on
harming you)Restlessness or agitation, Behaving recklessly or in a way that is not normal for you”
( Women’s Health pg 2). There are many spectrums of postpartum Depression which can be
handled and treated depending on what the doctor recommends
Postpartum Depression is a mental illness where women who give birth suffer from after
giving birth. Giving birth is so hard for women because they are carrying a baby inside them,
which means they have to be very careful when they are pregnant, and they deal with a lot of
things like back pain, morning sickness, etc.
Work cited Page
Postpartum Depression. 14 May 2019, www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-
health-conditions/postpartum-depression.
I;, Jones. Postpartum Depression-a Glimpse of Light in the Darkness?
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28619475/.
S;, Chandran M;Tharyan P;Muliyil J;Abraham. “Post-Partum Depression in a Cohort of
Women from a Rural Area of Tamil Nadu, India. Incidence and Risk Factors.” The British
Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine,
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12456520
Many people have a mental illness. People who suffer from them often feel like there is a
toll on their day to day life. It makes it harder for people who have a mental illness. People may
particularly look at you because they won’t understand how you feel. People tend to distance
themself when they go through things. Postpartum Depression is a perfect example of one mental
Illness; many people may not understand.
Postpartum is defined as “the time after childbirth. Most women get the “baby blues,” or
feel sad or empty, within a few days of giving birth. For many women, the baby blues go away in 3
to 5 days. If your baby blues don’t go away or you feel sad, hopeless, or empty for longer than two
weeks, you may have Postpartum Depression. They feel hopeless or empty after childbirth is not a
regular or expected part of being a mother” (women health pg 1). When a woman gives birth, she
has withdrawal symptoms because of so much the woman has to go through, from a lot of pain and
pressure to break many bones. Even before birth is so hard for women because they are carrying a
baby inside them; they have to be very careful when pregnant.
People have trouble understanding how severe a mental illness postpartum Depression is.
“Postpartum Depression is a serious mental illness that involves the brain and affects your behavior
and physical health. If you have Depression, then sad, flat, or empty feelings, don’t go away and
interfere with your day-to-day life. You might feel unconnected to your baby, as if you are not the
baby’s mother, or you might not love or care for the baby. These feelings can be mild to severe”
(Womenshealth pg 2). Postpartum Depression is not as standard if you think because one in nine
new mothers get it.
There are specific reasons people get postpartum Depression, and one of them maybe
hormonal changes because, during pregnancy, hormones are at their peak.
It has shown in studies women who were already depressed still leave the hospital being upset. “Of
the 58 women depressed before delivery, 38 were still depressed at the postpartum assessment”
(M. CHANDRAN pg 3). Women often don’t speak upon it or don’t seek help because they are
afraid to do so, especially in communities where mental health is stigmatized and not considered
an essential matter.
It is hard for pregnant women to take medication, especially if they are breastfeeding their
children. “Medication for perinatal mood episodes are difficult; they must be made by
extrapolating the data available for their use at other times of women’s lives” (Jones pg 1). Women
deal with a lot during their pregnancy, and then having to suffer from a mental illness makes it
very hard on them.
If postpartum Depression is not treated, many things can happen, lack of energy, Inability
to focus on essential essentials, feeling out of character, and having more frequent suicidal
thoughts. Many things come into play when suffering from postpartum Depression. “Feeling like a
bad mother can make Depression worse. It is important to reach out for help if you feel depressed.
“Researchers believe Postpartum Depression in a mother can affect her child throughout
childhood” (Womenshealth pg 3). It can bring adverse effects to the child because there’s always a
special connection, and it is said that the child can feel what the mother is feeling. So, for example,
if the mother is sad, the child will be unhappy as well.
There are many ways to cope at home when not feeling too well from postpartum
Depression. Mothers who suffer from other mental illnesses can end up having Postpartum
psychosis. “Postpartum psychosis is rare. It happens in up to 4 new mothers out of every 1,000
births. It usually begins in the first two weeks after childbirth. It is a medical emergency. Women
who have bipolar disorder or another mental health condition called schizoaffective disorder have a
higher risk of postpartum psychosis.” (womenshealth pg 1)This is when it gets very severe and
needs to get checked upon.
When a person has postpartum psychosis, there are many symptoms such as “Seeing or
hearing things that aren’t there, Feeling confused most of the time, Having rapid mood swings
within several minutes (for example, crying hysterically, then laughing a lot, followed by extreme
sadness), Trying to hurt yourself or your baby Paranoia (thinking that others are focused on
harming you)Restlessness or agitation, Behaving recklessly or in a way that is not normal for you”
( Women’s Health pg 2). There are many spectrums of postpartum Depression which can be
handled and treated depending on what the doctor recommends
Postpartum Depression is a mental illness where women who give birth suffer from after
giving birth. Giving birth is so hard for women because they are carrying a baby inside them,
which means they have to be very careful when they are pregnant, and they deal with a lot of
things like back pain, morning sickness, etc.
Work cited Page
Postpartum Depression. 14 May 2019, www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-
health-conditions/postpartum-depression.
I;, Jones. Postpartum Depression-a Glimpse of Light in the Darkness?
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28619475/.
S;, Chandran M;Tharyan P;Muliyil J;Abraham. “Post-Partum Depression in a Cohort of
Women from a Rural Area of Tamil Nadu, India. Incidence and Risk Factors.” The British
Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine,
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12456520
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