Blog 2, Option 2

With my initial beliefs about general psychology in mind, I developed an opinion that John was somewhat unreliable after the very first time I read “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This is simply because some of the treatments he subjected the narrator to would nowadays be considered downright archaic. Plus, women do tend to have a better intuition than men, regarding awareness to their own feelings (although not necessarily better logic in how to handle them), so it would make sense that a “physician of high standing” would misunderstand the narrator's suffering. Several more quotes of her own indicate ideas that would nowadays be considered excellent treatment for most cases of depression, such as “congenial work, with excitement and change,” and her desire for company. Many of the things the narrator says about the wallpaper made sense to me given the circumstances. The narrator probably has a good sense of artistic normality, thus explaining her quest to find reason in the stimulating, but disturbing pattern of the wallpaper.

To be honest, it was only after I read the prompt to this assignment that I paid close attention to the reliability of the narrator. With the idea in mind that depression of any kind can contribute to questionable behavior, things immediately started to grab my attention the second time I read the story. The second sentence, and its mention of a haunted house as the ideal romantic getaway can already be considered evidence of a troubled mind.

But possible causes of depression cannot be ignored in the investigation of the symptoms. Perhaps most of the narrator's unreliable information is fueled by John's ignorance. “He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him,” indicates to me a reason to generally mistrust John. Unreasonable feelings are seldom the product of reasonable thoughts. It also provides supporting evidence for the narrator's reliability. Assuming John really does care about her, it would make sense for her to ignore her own logic, and do what he advises. His shaky methods could have worked to inadvertently fuel the narrator's obsession. John's treatment of her, as previewed by his reaction to her first impressions of the house, reflects the way women were usually treated by men, especially educated ones. So it would only make sense that she trust and obey her husband. Even though it's the narrator who ends up creeping around on the floor like a nervous phantom, I cannot help but to see most of the fault in John's behavior.

I have no reason to mistrust her until her behavior turns toward the insane. Still describing what she is doing from the first person, she adds in her creeping escapade as though it was simply a continuation of her struggles and accompanying coping strategies. The only reason I would see to mistrust her would be if she was misinterpreting what John was saying from the very beginning, and therefore writing his words incorrectly, and John really wasn't the fool I have suspected him to be.

I did think that maybe the author might be expressing her feelings about her own mental difficulties, because she tells the story from the point of view of the person considered to be mentally troubled. I do not see anything wrong with wanting to write. I do, however, see sense in suspecting that maybe the narrator's ridiculous behavior is a somewhat-intentional cry for help, to communicate to others that her condition is still worsening. Her language during this episode indicates rebellion against John and Jane, who have been suppressing her from writing and doing other things that she enjoys.