THE SEMINAL FEMINIST WORK, ‘THE YELLOW WALLPAPER’ DEPICTS 19TH CENTURY TREATMENT FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

Flyer for “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Photo courtesy of Phillip M. Church.

In ancient Greece, doctors diagnosed people, mostly women, with “hysteria” when they exhibited
symptoms that could not be easily explained. These symptoms ranged from seizures, amnesia,
fainting, uncontrolled bodily movements, chronic pain, and heart palpitations, to emotional
outbursts, suicidal thoughts, and hallucinations. Hippocrates and Plato attributed them to the womb,
or hysteria, which they claimed wandered around the female body, causing an array of physical and
mental conditions. In ancient times, hysteria was cured with herbs, sex or sexual abstinence, and
punished for its association with witchery. Throughout the 19th and 20th century the diagnosis of
hysteria was commonly applied to any behavior that did not conform to societal norms. Sigmund
Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, at one time suggested it was a result of erotic suppression.
Treatments for symptoms ranged from isolation to electroshock therapy. While the American
Psychiatric Association removed hysteria as a diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980, the medical profession still has a long way to go to fully
understand women’s physical and mental health.

In the late 1900s, writer Charlotte Gilman suffered postnatal depression after the birth of her
daughter. Her doctor, Silas Weir Mitchel, the leading expert on women & mental health at the time,
recommended a treatment of complete bed rest and abstinence from all intellectual and physical
activity. After three months, and very close to a mental collapse, Gilman defied the doctor’s orders
and wrote the semi-autobiographical short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The story mirrors her
postpartum experience and includes vivid imagery and prose to illustrate her criticism of the medical
field as well as the state of her mental health. The story was first published in 1892 in the New
England Magazine and is considered a seminal work of both early feminist literature and horror
fiction.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, c. 1900 Photo: Wikipedia

In association with the Homestead Center for the Arts and the National Alliance on Mental Illness,
What if Works is presenting a multimedia adaptation of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” featuring Maria
Lopez in a solo performance. In an age in which women possessed few rights and freedoms, the
story depicts the wife of a renowned physician who is prescribed a three-month “Rest Cure,” to treat
her unpredictable emotions following the birth of her child. As she struggles to adjust to the isolation
of the nursery to which she has been confined, she sees the detailed design of the yellow wallpaper
morphing and changing; a reflection of her internal state.

“Gilman’s short story is our way of being able to offer the community an opportunity to engage in the
very important subject of postpartum depression and, by extension, the broader subject concerning
mental health and its impact at so many different levels of society,” said What if Works Founding
Director, Phillip Church. The production promises to be an innovative and compelling performance of Charlotte Gillman’s original short story.

Photo and information courtesy of Phillip M. Church.

WHAT: The Yellow Wallpaper

TICKETS: Performances are free (with the exception of October 9) but require a
reservation. For reservations and information go to www.whatifworks.com or call 305-
586-3919.

WHEN & WHERE:

September 21 – October 8 2024; September 21, 3:00PM & 8:00PM, Florida City Youth Center, 650 NW 5th Street, Florida City, Fl. 33034

September 27, 7:00PM- Mary Anne Wolfe Theatre, FIU Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 NE 151 Street, N. Miami, Fl 33181

September 30, 7:00pm- Coral Gables Library 3443 Segovia Street, Coral Gables, Fl 33134

October 9th at 8:00pm Westchester Cultural Arts Center (NAMI Benefit) 7930 SW 40th Street, Miami, Fl. 33155

PRICE: NAMI General: $15. Seniors, Students & Vets: $10.

INFO: What If Works

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