Coursework_Ball State University_Fall 2011
Instructor_Elizabeth Young

Form v. Pattern Regarding Hysteria:
A Critical Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Architectural design revolves around the idea of creating environments for experiencing life. This built environment creates space to be inhabited for functional purposes, while also producing emotional involvement. Charlotte Perkins Gilman describes such an environment in her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper;” portraying a country estate meant for therapeutic purposes that also possesses emotional appeal. The form of this estate reflects its therapeutic purposes, however a certain pattern that lies within the form obtains control of the inhabitant’s emotions with the ability to increase an unstable mind. This intense phenomenon of pattern is seen in the story to hide itself from those stable minds, and begins to expand alongside the mind of the insane. As illustrated in the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” a simplistic form gains attention only from an ordinary mind while the intricacy of pattern demands obsession from the hysterical as a reflection of the mind’s own being.

To preface the meaning of form regarding the setting of Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” one must understand the preferred architectural practices for nineteenth century asylum establishments. Architects were given the responsibility of translating the concept of sanity into the design. Spaces were not only meant for others to treat the insane, but to treat mental illness with the space alone (Edginton 377). Nature and “social order” was sought after in asylum architecture as a representation of “a passage to sanity.” The insane were believed to have needed complete separation from social life, and a deep connection with country life (Edington 378). Internal treatment of windows to frame beautiful views was therefore a tactic of most importance for connecting a patient with the outdoors (Edginton 380). Barry Edginton quoted in his article “The Well-­‐Ordered Body: The Quest for Sanity through Nineteenth-­‐Century Asylum Architecture” that, “What one saw from one’s open window was an exemplary scene, a scene {not only] full of life but of life given shape; the viewer had aided the landscape to be more of itself” (381). Architects also provided wide, open, airy spaces and ample opportunities for outdoor exercise and activity as other forms of developing sanity through nature (Edginton 383).

These forms of architecture and being that were used for manipulating an unstable mind into stability are recognized in Gilman’s story not only as the setting, but as an aid to the psychological analysis of the narrator and her husband. John, a credible physician, is seen in the story as a stable mind. Due to his medical expertise he seeks architectural form as a means to cure his wife’s depression. The couple travels to the previously mentioned country estate featuring “a big, airy room… with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore” (Gilman 3) This form is in every aspect consistent with the current common practice for treating the mentally ill, and the form thus comforts John’s ordinary mind. Throughout the development of one’s understanding of the narrator, John is seen encouraging her to rest, remain in the open, airy room and therefore remain connected with nature; however a more impressionable element becomes apparent to the narrator as she introduces the antagonist to John’s beloved form—pattern.

As the meaning of form in relation to analyzing “The Yellow Wallpaper” was defined, one must also define the purpose of pattern within Gilman’s story. Pattern, is intended through art and architecture to inflict emotion and wonder upon a subject. This is done in various ways via repetition, color, and a foreground verses background interaction. Casey Reas and Chandler McWilliams explain in their book Form + Code how repetition within a pattern mesmerizes and captures the mind. “Repetition can have a powerful effect on the human body and psyche. One of the most extreme examples is the way rapidly flashing light can trigger a seizure. A more universal example is how the beat of a good song will inspire people to dance along. Ina a similar way, dynamic visual patterns can appear, in subtle ways, to vibrate physically” (Reas 49). This exhibition of the power of repetition within pattern fully explains how pattern can override the form of rehabilitation. The second defining feature of pattern in need of discussion is the effect of color. “Color tends to highlight parts of a building: it can emphasize them, make them invisible or transparent, or conceal them. Once color is separated from its customary role, it becomes the guiding element of a design” (Bahamon 8). Alejandro Bahamon and Ana Maria Alvarez explain in this excerpt from their book Light Color Sound that the role of color pertaining to the “parts of a building,” and in this case a pattern. Color has the ability to make things “transparent” to the mind by focusing the mind on itself, and in conjunction with the repetition of pattern, this experience has the ability to be a powerful motivator to any observer. Finally, we dig deep into the core of a pattern in order to reveal its true phenomenon. Ana Araujo describes the concept of foreground and background within pattern in her paper “A Pattern Constellation” by providing the example of mathematics as a pattern. A series or pattern of digits and symbols build a figure to represent mathematics, when behind that figure lies a “hidden logic” (Araujo 11). Something much more brilliant than those digits and symbols is conveyed through the original figure. Visual pattern then works in the same way. On the surface lay figure, yet after close observation, calculation and obsession the exceptional entity is exposed within the background.

As one continues to grasp the concepts of how patterns affect the mind, the narrator’s elevation of hysteria due to the yellow wallpaper becomes understood. The forms that John impresses upon her do not take hold, whereas the pattern that reflects her mental state of illness takes control. Upon her first witnessing of the wallpaper, she states that it is “pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study” (Gilman 3). With this comment, the narrator gradually becomes more and more entranced by the repetition of “lame uncertain curves” (3) with interpretations such as “the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down” (6) and “the outside pattern is a florid arabesque, reminding one of a fungus” (13). While the narrator does not seem to experience seizures or physically dance as suggested by Reas and McWilliams, she is responding to the wallpaper in similar ways. The pattern induces a metaphorical dance and seizure within her mind and thought process, leading her to insanity. Her reaction to the color, while seemingly more repulsed, parallels the effect of the accompanying pattern. As Alejandro Bahamon and Ana Maria Alvarez expressed, the color creates invisibility to the building. The narrator sees only the confusing pattern and it’s horrid color, disregarding John’s intentions of her connecting with nature. These curves, angles and color construct the foreground of the pattern. They fixate the narrator and eventually reveal to her the extraordinary background that reflects her state of mind. “There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will… And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern” (Gilman 10-­‐11). Insanity is discovered behind the pattern, and as the narrator seeks this woman, she seeks a connection to her own hysteria. As she climbs into the pattern at the closing point of the story, one witnesses her complete embracing and becoming of the insanity that she saw within the wallpaper.

Architectural solutions for expressing and affecting the human mind do not rely on a definite application of pre-­‐determined forms, but rely on the expressive patterns of the mind itself. Through the filter of John’s ordinary mind, the pattern on the wall appeared ordinary, yet through the lens of the narrator’s unstable mind, the pattern became a mirror to expose her mental insanity. As one experiences pattern and form throughout daily life, the effects upon the human body as portrayed in Gilman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper” are constantly at work. Compelling visual, physical, mathematical, and mental patterns lurk around every corner, and understanding their influence upon oneself can divert the mind away from insanity.

Works Cited:

Araujo, Ana. “A Pattern Constellation.” Haecceity Pattern 3.1 (2007): 9-­‐21. Web. 16 Sept. 2011.<http://sydney.edu.au/sup/journals/haecceity/pdfs/3/Intro_3_1.pdf>.

Bahamon, Alejandro, and Ana Maria Alvarez. “Introduction.” Light Color Sound: Sensory Effects in Contemporary Architecture. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2010.8.Print.

Edginton, Barry. “The Well-­‐Ordered Body: The Quest for Sanity through Nineteenth-­‐ Century Asylum Architecture.” Canadian Bulletin of Medical History 11 (1994): 375-­‐86.  Web. 15 Sept. 2011.<http://www.cbmh.ca/index.php/cbmh/article/view/309>.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wall-­‐Paper.” 1892. East of the Web Short Stories.  Web. 2 Sep. 2011.

Reas, Casey, Chandler McWilliams, and Jeroen Barendse. “Repeat.” Form Code in Design, Art, and Architecture. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2010. 49. Print.