The Woman in the Wallpaper

The idea of the “New Woman” is easily relatable to Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. At the end of the story, Jane transforms into the “new woman” and escapes the metaphorical bars of her marriage that she sees within the pattern of the wallpaper. When Jane first began her transformation, she disobeys her husband’s orders in small ways. She writes in her journal although she is instructed not to. Also, she stays up at night looking at the paper even though she is supposed to be getting as much rest as possible to help her condition. Jane seems to form the strongest connection to the paper at night. She claims to only see the woman when the moonlight falls upon the paper. Jane states that, “At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candle light, lamplight, and worst of all moonlight, it becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be,” (110). She also goes on to claim that, “By daylight she is subdued, quiet. I fancy it is the pattern that keeps her so still. It is so puzzling. It keeps me quiet by the hour,” (110). This section is where I began seeing Jane’s connection to the woman in the wallpaper. During the day, Jane was quiet and followed her husband’s orders. At night, she felt most independent and alive which connects to her idea of the woman coming alive at night within the paper.