Social/ Historical Connections

Some historical events are female hysteria. In the past men were the most dominant. When females began to become smarter they felt threatened. Men often said women shouldn't vote. This lead to the civil rights movement. They protested so that they could get the right to vote. Men said women weren't intelligent enough to vote. Women were arrested when they tried to vote. Most were arrested and jailed. Alot of them tried to starve themselves. For example Alice Paul a famous feminist tried to starve herself to death. This why men made the excuse  that they  were ill or that they should stay in the kitchen or clean. Rarely women would leave the house for this excuse.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women

http://www.alicepaul.org/alicepaul.htm

symbolism

I think Jane symbolized addiction in the yellow wallpaper .Addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to do something with psychology or physically habit-forming.   She was addicted to the wallpaper. Thats what I think truly drew her insane. She would rub against the wall so much the wall would decay and she would smell like the wallpaper.If you think about it the wall was probably made of wood or cement, imagine how many times she would have to rub up against it for it to slowly break down. She even had to make room behind her bed since it was nailed to the wall she  had to make room to get behind the bed.  Also the paint of the paper would smear on her clothes in the wallpaper.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/addiction?s=t

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_dependence

Protanganist

Before we start i just want to tell you the definition of protagonist. Protagonist means the leading character,hero, or the heroine of a drama.  The protagonist in the story is John and Jane and this is why. In the beginning of the story I believe it was Jane . She was calm and sweet. John fed her drugs and then she changed. Then John became the protagonist since Jane became her own worst enemy. Jane became crazy, she lived to tear off the wallpaper. That was her only objective in life. I truly think John tried to help Jane at the end. Until he saw the madness that occurred in that room. She probably looked insane due to her splinter filled mouth due to when she bit the bed and also her clothes probably had been.
 in the wallpaper smell. It probably looked like a mad house.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/protagonist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_protagonist

Theme

The theme of the story is to be independent and believe what you believe. Theme is the subject of the discussion.  She truly didn't think she was ill. Because of her intelligence John was afraid, so he drugged her which bit him in the butt at the end. He caused this whole story. If he didn't drug her with phosphates Gilman would be completely sane and a great writer. Gilman should have been tough enough to refuse the medicine.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/theme

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence

Gilmans background

Gilman has a intelligent background which was a problem in the past.  A background is ones origin, education, experience, etc. Gilman was born july 3rd 1860, in Hartford, Connecticut. Her childhood was hard because her father abandoned her family when she was little. This effected her education since she had to move around a lot. Gilman married in 1884 to Charles Stetson.     Her husband classified her with a sickness and then fed her "medicine" for her illness. Gilman was then banished to her new room with the yellow wallpaper which made her insanely mad. She craved and wondered about the wallpaper. In the beginning of the story she had different thoughts and comments about the wallpaper. She thought that the woman in the wallpaper was trying to escape but we later figure out that wasn't the case.

http://www.biography.com/people/charlotte-perkins-gilman-9311669

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/background?s=t