Monday, July 1, 2013

Why does the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" say John’s profession is “perhaps . . . one reason I do not get well faster"? Who else supports John’s diagnosis?

The narrator’s husband, John, is a physician. He is utterly committed to the supremacy of science. His evaluation of his wife’s condition as a slight hysteria or temporary depression fails to encompass her need for autonomy, as he ignores her requests and dictates a regimen that he believes will cure her. The narrator calls attention to arrogance associated with the profession of physician, but she also mentions that he was dismissive of her concerns before she became ill.
In the statement, she may also be implying that refusal to comply with his demands is a form of resistance by which she asserts her own identity and will. Jennie, his sister and their housekeeper, abides by her brother’s behavior, but she may be harboring her own doubts about the reasons behind it.

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