Intellectual Stimulus

Crowder argues that Jane's husband, John, has stripped Jane of any "intellectual stimulus" and "freedom" with the excuse of wanting what is best for her as he is "very clear about what she is and is not to do" (4). Because Jane is so confined by society's limitations arising from her role as a female, she decides to "create a secret life as a writer" (4) as an escape. Crowder further develops onto this by explaining that the "creation of this secret self" is the "first split of [Jane] into two selves" (4). This is the beginning of the progress of Jane's insanity as the "duality of self is confusing and destructive" (4). Crowder analyzes that Jane "has nothing to do but look at her walls" where lies the "horrible wallpaper" (4). She explains that the "woman behind the wallpaper" is really just a "delusion of the narrator" (5). It is clear here that because she is so trapped and isolated, Jane is forced to linger even more on the progression of her insanity. Crowder believes that although "the wallpaper is definitely hard to look at… one must" as it is "frustrating" yet "soothing"(6) at the same time. The wallpaper is so "compelling" to look at that it draws Jane's attention and "distracts her at every chance" causing her emerging madness to lead to the wallpaper's physical "destruction" (7). Crowder believes Jane to receive "great satisfaction in the destruction of the paper" and further on interprets that "one must destroy the other in order to survive" (8). Here it is obvious that there is a conflict