The Yellow Wallpaper

The first time I read The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, I was intrigued by the story of a woman slipping out of her own mind. I was also fascinated by the underlying feminist symbolism that was a result of the time period in which it was written. The short story was first published in 1899 while women were beginning to take action against oppression. Though the character in the story describes her doctor husband as loving and caring, he still strips her of her rights by diagnosing an illness and forcing her to “rest.” He then confines her to the upstairs bedroom of their new rental home. The room has bars on the windows and a gate at the top of the stairs so that he can better control her “illness.”

The character of the story seems to find solace in writing, but does so in secret since her husband and his sister insist she rests. The woman is then put on a strict schedule with plenty of naps, no hard labor, such as cleaning or cooking. She is allowed very few walks in the garden and no visiting time with her infant son. Many believe that the character was suffering from postpartum depression, in which case all of the things that were taken from her would have aided her better than confinement.

The room at the top of the stairs has plenty of windows for “fresh air.” The character believes it was once a nursery and that is why the windows are barred and the floor is scratched. There is a bed in the room that has been nailed to the floor. The character appears to be moderately fond of the room with its view of the garden and the nearby bay. The only part of the room she does not like is the hideous yellow wallpaper, which she describes as “a kind of sub-pattern in a different shade, a particularly irritating one, for you can only see it in certain lights, and not clearly then.” Her husband John will not let her remove the wallpaper, fearing she will want to change something else once it is fixed.

Toward the end of the story the character seems to slip even deeper into the madness her husband has diagnosed her with. She begins to believe there is a woman trapped in the yellow wallpaper. It is never explained whether the woman is imagined or a ghost, but the story ends with the character tearing apart the wallpaper in an attempt to free the woman. She then believes she is the same woman, creeping through the paper.

Since I am a lover of creepy stories, I was interested in viewing the film adaptation. I have to admit that I was expecting to be disappointed, not just for the reviews but because film rarely captures the true essence of a written story. The movie is told from the point of view of the main character’s seemingly emotionless husband John. Thus it depleted the feminist nature of the original. The son is removed from the story completely and replaced by a daughter named Sarah who was killed in a recent fire. This acts as the catalyst that eventually drives “Charlotte” willingly into the attic with the yellow wallpaper.

Going into the movie I knew it would not hold true to the original story. I tried to separate the two of them and enjoy the movie for what it was. It still managed to flop. I am generally very picky about horror movies as it is, but felt as if it was pieced together unevenly. It was visually rich with well-made costumes and sets, however the rest felt as if it was put together with Photoshop and untrained cameramen. The score was too gimmicky and unnecessary. The plotline itself was not nearly as intriguing as the original story. I found it difficult to follow without becoming distracted or bored. The beginning credits say the movie was “adapted from” the short story. Though I believe “inspired by” would describe it better since very little of the original story is in place.

The script fell short completely. The acting felt dull and lifeless. It lacked the real heart of the story. Half of the movie is spent watching the three characters bumble around as things that are irrelevant to the plot take place. For a while you are lead to believe it is a ghost story as Charlotte begins to think her deceased daughter is living in the house. Then it throws you off with a vampire twist ending that makes no sense to the plot. It would have done much better with a more thought out script and a genre change. A psychological thriller would have done it better justice.

The BBC did a version of The Yellow Wallpaper in 1989. Not only did the short TV movie seem to follow the real story, it also held onto the symbolism Gilman intended. The character, aptly named Charlotte, is confined to the upstairs bedroom with the yellow wallpaper that slowly drives her insane. As a fan of the original work I found the BBC version much more satisfying and would recommend that one to fellow fans before the 2011 adaptation. In fact if it were not for the yellow wallpaper in the attic and the title, I would not have known they were the same story.