Wow. Isn't it strange how two people can read the same story and get completely different visions of it? Granted I am dim when it comes to symbolism, and you being a writer, you'll notice a lot that I miss - but my take on this story has always been than the main character is captured by the wallpaper, and that the story ends with her descending into madness -- that, instead of the woman behind the wallpaper breaking free, she becomes the woman trapped by the wallpaper.
Your reading would make more sense in some ways, but I think mine does in others. Time to go googling for academic papers, I guess.
Sigh.
(okay - I've read a bit more - it would appear that we are both right, that the freedom & destruction are basically two sides of the same coin. Man o man, I forgot how much this story "creeps me out," as they say. If anyone else is interested, the story is available on the web in full in more than one place; it's about 6000 words.)
Last edited by Mellowicious; 01/28/09 12:28 AM.
