How the Walls Were Papered

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses women's health in the 19th century as related to ideas, practices, and personalities that affected these concerns. It is important for us today to understand the historical precedent of the current status of women's health in order to evaluate our own perspectives and the sources from which they have evolved. The writer proposes that attitudes of men toward women were central to issues concerning women's health in the 19th century. Women with no legal identity separate from their husbands, had long been dependent on men for everything and were just beginning to awaken to the idea that they were going to have to stand up for themselves. The evidence presented includes a discussion of a short story detailing so called female hysteria, the diary of a midwife, historical background on trends of the times, in which childbirth, birth control, gynecological developments and personalities involved in women's health issues are central.

From the Paper:

"This paper takes it title from the story, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The significance of the title is derived from the idea that exterior wallpaper can have a devastating effect on interior wallpaper, that is, that the inside of a woman s head can be papered with the concepts that dominate the decoration of her outer world. In this story, the husband, John, contributes to his wife s descent into madness simply by being himself, and treating her as most men of those times treated their wives. The Yellow Wallpaper, written in 1892, when the majority of men believed strongly that women were weak and inferior, and needed care and guidance from their husbands, centers around the issue of power and control, especially in the marriage relationship. The story is skillfully constructed to show how the attitudes of male dominated society could drive women mad."

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