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Using Formatting to Portray Mental Illness in The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman takes the reader through the first-hand experiences of the narrator’s bed rest following the birth of a child. Gilman uses a variety of methods to convey the mental anguish the narrator is experiencing and one of these methods is the use of shorter paragraphs. By utilizing this format, the reader develops a great sense for the racing thoughts the narrator is experiencing as she is left alone in her room for an extended period of time. The fragmented thoughts provide a sense of urgency and unrest that may otherwise be more difficult for the reader to glean if the story was written in a more conventional format.
An example of Gilman’s formatting decision impacting the reader’s perception can be found as the narrator recounts a conversation she had with her husband following the fourth of July. As she recounts how her husband has threatened to send her to the neurologist, Weir Mitchell, if her condition doesn’t improve, she recalls how she knows someone who has visited Weir Mitchell and how she does not want to leave her home and how she does not feel like she is worthy of going on such a trip. The short, one sentence paragraphs make this passage all the more heartbreaking as it shows the inner workings of the narrator’s mind where she feels as though her life is worth nothing. Distorted thinking is a major symptom of many mental disorders, which shows the reader how alone and depressed the narrator feels.
The use of punctuation is just one way in which Charlotte Perkins Gilman guides the reader into the despair that the narrator is experiencing. Gilman’s unique formatting makes her short story, The Yellow Wallpaper memorable and moving.