Between order and disorder: reading the short story “The yellow wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Abstract

The article is based in two writings by Char- lotte Perkins Gilman, the short story The yellow wallpaper, published in 1892, and the testimony Why I wrote the yellow wallpaper, published in 1913. In the latter, the author reports her previous unsatisfying experience with the medical treatment which inspired the creation of the short story. This literary narrative was chosen, not only due to its qualities, but also because of the intersection with the theme of gender inequality in mental health and in treatments directed to women, driven by gender ideology. Stemming from the historical context, I point out the origin of depth psychology and of psychological perspectives in the treatment of mental illnesses and the importance of the development of the Junguian thought in a dialogue with other areas of knowledge, such as social, feminist, and literary studies. Apart from historical and social aspects, the article makes a psychological reading of the short story, highlighting conflictive aspects and themes and alchemical symbols that are present in the narrative which, even after over a century, still haunts us.