Definition of Stream of Consciousness
The first half of “The Yellow Wallpaper” introduces Jane as a narrator who is deliberate and in control of her thoughts. As the story progresses, however, it uses stream of consciousness to represent Jane’s actual thoughts and measure her mental decline as she's confined to a room to recover from postpartum depression. In the first half of the story, the entries are logical, coherent, and well-organized. Take, for example, Jane talking about her treatment in her first diary entry:
So I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again. Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good.
The first half of “The Yellow Wallpaper” introduces Jane as a narrator who is deliberate and in control of her thoughts. As the story progresses, however, it uses stream of consciousness to represent Jane’s actual thoughts and measure her mental decline as she's confined to a room to recover from postpartum depression. In the first half of the story, the entries are logical, coherent, and well-organized. Take, for example, Jane talking about her treatment in her first diary entry:
Unlock with LitCharts A+So I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again. Personally, I disagree with their ideas. Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good.