A PSYCHOANALYTIC EXAMINATION OF NARRATIVE UNRELIABILITY AND SYMBOLISM IN THE YELLOW WALLPAPER
Abstract
In this paper, I offer a psychoanalytic examination of narrative unreliability and symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper, analyzing how the narrator’s descent into madness complicates reader interpretation. While Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s work is often read as a feminist critique of patriarchal oppression and the rest cure, this study questions the reliability of the narrator’s perspective and its implications for meaning-making. By tracing inconsistencies in her account, particularly in her depictions of John’s intentions, her fixation on the wallpaper, and her self-reported psychological state, I interrogate whether her narration can serve as an authoritative lens for interpreting gender dynamics and oppression. Drawing from Jungian theory, the analysis explores the wallpaper as an archetypal symbol of the unconscious, representing repression, individuation, and the instability of subjective reality. The paper also juxtaposes the narrator’s agency with that of stronger female figures in The Awakening and The Scarlet Letter, highlighting how unreliable narration problematizes feminist readings of Gilman’s text. Ultimately, while The Yellow Wallpaper remains a powerful exploration of gender and mental health, the narrator’s unreliability raises essential questions about how we construct meaning from a perspective that is both fragmented and psychologically unstable.
Start Time
16-4-2025 9:00 AM
End Time
16-4-2025 10:00 AM
Room Number
304
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Grad/Comp Orals
Presentation Category
Art and Humanities
Faculty Mentor
Matthew Holtmeier
A PSYCHOANALYTIC EXAMINATION OF NARRATIVE UNRELIABILITY AND SYMBOLISM IN THE YELLOW WALLPAPER
304
In this paper, I offer a psychoanalytic examination of narrative unreliability and symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper, analyzing how the narrator’s descent into madness complicates reader interpretation. While Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s work is often read as a feminist critique of patriarchal oppression and the rest cure, this study questions the reliability of the narrator’s perspective and its implications for meaning-making. By tracing inconsistencies in her account, particularly in her depictions of John’s intentions, her fixation on the wallpaper, and her self-reported psychological state, I interrogate whether her narration can serve as an authoritative lens for interpreting gender dynamics and oppression. Drawing from Jungian theory, the analysis explores the wallpaper as an archetypal symbol of the unconscious, representing repression, individuation, and the instability of subjective reality. The paper also juxtaposes the narrator’s agency with that of stronger female figures in The Awakening and The Scarlet Letter, highlighting how unreliable narration problematizes feminist readings of Gilman’s text. Ultimately, while The Yellow Wallpaper remains a powerful exploration of gender and mental health, the narrator’s unreliability raises essential questions about how we construct meaning from a perspective that is both fragmented and psychologically unstable.