Surprises in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Over the years I've read "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman several times for my classes and every time I find new things that stand out to me. During my most recent reading one line in particular stood out to me:
"He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well."
For some reason, I had always viewed the husband in the story as uptight and uncaring of his wife. That he had moved the family out of town simply to get them away from prying eyes and his peers. After reading this line, I realized the care he must have felt for her and some things started making sense. The husband did move the entire family away but he didn't have to do that, he could have simply shipped the wife off and continued on with his life. Instead, he continually tried to check up on her and urged her to feel better and return to him and their child. This was both surprising and comforting to me, especially when we hear so much about loveless marriages that took place. It showed that there were true feelings between them.
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