DWELLING IN THE PAST-ES

“Art is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone will have their own interpretation.” – E.A. Bucchianeri

Human beings are constantly seeking meaning in their lives. As meaning-making creatures, we are always seeking answers to the way we are functioning in this myriad web of social relationships. The simplest yet difficult question to answer is “Who are you?” The answer keeps varying according to an individual’s experiences in life. We see the world through our own "tinted" lenses. What I may see in this world might not match your perception towards it, and vice versa. The beauty of the human mind is that we may be similar in our basic biological anatomy, yet our minds remain as diverse as stars in the sky! (cliche, right, but what to do?)

The short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson is a story that captures the imagination and leaves an individual bewildered with some pertinent questions of life.

“You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?” depicts how Dr John was practical in the extreme. He was practical to the extent that he adored a blurry glass, which refused to see the sick mental state of his wife. It is important to note here that this story was written in 1890, but the reverberation of its meaning still echoes. Mental illnesses are stigmatised even in 2021. Words like “psycho,” “insane,” and “mental” are used as abusive slurs against those suffering from mental health conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again made human beings realise the importance of mental health.

John takes his wife on a vacation seeking treatment for depression, as he has an understanding that the state of rest can cure any illness. There is a common saying in Indian households that if you are not feeling well, go outside and have a break from life. But the real question is, does taking a break from life and going to hills or the beach for some time help one recover? The solution is that as a community, we should be willing to listen to each other’s experiences and be more empathetic. Half of the problems can be solved if we understand the basic difference b/w hearing and listening, as listening involves active meaning making. 

The protagonist mentions in the story that “He hates to have me write a word.” For her, writing was like therapy as it helped her understand her own emotions that often remained unacknowledged by her husband, while her state was labelled as a nervous breakdown. She writes in the poem, “writing a little would relieve the press of ideas and rest me.”

“He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him,” depicts the real rhetoric around mental illnesses. There is often not a single reason to pinpoint, as there is a huge array of reasons. “… bed which is all we found in the room, looks as if it had been through the wars,” shows how human beings went through the same emotions, but could not speak up, as it is not common to talk about mental health. 

She feels lonely amidst everyone. The song, “kehne ko saath ek duniya chalti hain par chupke iss dil mein tanhaaeyi basti hai,” fits here well. I believe we all want someone to understand us and our experiences.

“He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me,” is similar to the saying that it is all in your mind and if you think positively, everything will fall in place. We all know that it is very hard to stop the thinking process of our minds, as it is constantly connecting the dots. Remember “emotions need motion.” Those who seek help for their problems are the bravest people. As there are doctors for physical illnesses, there are doctors for mental illnesses. Let’s normalise going to psychologists and psychiatrists!

“Most women do creep by daylight” depicts how women are forced to hide their emotions and to adjust to their lives. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the protagonist sees a woman who wants to escape from the complex structures which reflect the real turmoil she is going through in her own life. The protagonist is seeking freedom from the structures of the society which forbid her to feel the way she wants to.

Nhat Hanh rightly says, “when we identify with the life of all that exists, we realise that birth and death are minor fluctuations in an ever-changing cosmos”.