EP-2: The Yellow Wallpaper

I want to talk about a short story that feels strangely loud, even though it's very short. It's called The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It's not a new book, actually. It's written in the 1890s, but the story is very simple. A woman is taken to a quiet house for rest. She asked not to think too much, not to write, not to talk too much, just rest. And then she starts noticing the wallpaper in her room, this ugly yellow wallpaper. At first it's just annoying, but slowly becomes an obsession. And through her eyes, we watch how she's obsessed with the wallpaper. Whenever she eats, whenever she sleeps, whenever she thinks about something, whenever she bathes, all she can think about is the yellow wallpaper. But it's not really about the wallpaper. It's about the way she was dismissed, controlled, told that she's too sensitive or too tired. And it's about how silence can feel like a trap sometimes, and how not being able to express yourself can be a lot damaging than anything else. And what really struck me is that how quiet the story is, but it says so much. It's very uncomfortable to read it and reminded me how important it is to let people speak, to let them create, to not call someone dramatic just because they feel things deeply. It also reminded me that writing can be a survival as well. So yeah, it's just a few pages, but it stayed with me. That's all for today. Thanks for being here. Thanks for listening. I'll be back soon with another book and more quiet thoughts. Until then take care of your space, your mind and your voice. Thank you.