Critical Thinking Habits and The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Critical Thinking Habits Most Useful in Interpreting

In The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman

Critical thinking is one important thing that people should consider using it in daily life. Critical thinking is a process of identification and evaluation of evidence when making a decision and it will clarify a task and finally guide to the best outcome. Some people might say I know how to think, I have been thinking all of my life, however, it is not easy to think critically. People have to learn, practice, and improve the habits of critical thinking in order to achieve it. Here there are some critical thinking habits most useful in interpreting in The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman which are ask questions, define terms and concepts, and analyze assumptions and biases.

In a long story like The Yellow Wallpaper there are many objects involve in the story. In order to clarify and understand the story accurately, a reader should ask questions. Asking any questions that the reader is not sure, do not understand, or wants to know from the story will help the reader defines the story. It can be random questions or specific questions, for example: Why the house is for rent?, Who is the woman in wallpaper?, Why is she sick?, or Why must she help a woman in the wallpaper? Some questions are impossible to find out the answer, such as Why is she sick? There is not enough information in the story to help the reader find the answer. Also some questions no matter with the story. These questions that we cant find the answer, put them away. Some questions the reader can find out the answer from information that the story give, such as Who is the woman in wallpaper? The reader has enough information from the story to find out that actually the woman in the wallpaper is herself. After asking random questions, now the reader should be able to get the direction and understand the story more. Now, the reader should ask specific questions in the story to get more details. For example Who is john? this question is more specific question because John is one important character in the story. The story tells a reader actually that John is a doctor. However, it is also tells that John is her husband because John calls her my darling. Moreover he takes such a good care of her and it is special more than other normal patient. Thus John can be both her husband and her doctor. Another specific question that can find the answer is Why are upstairs and downstairs different? In the story, she describes that the house is a big house and there are many rooms and she also said I like downstairs is opened on the plaza and had roses all over the window. She also said that John wants her to stay upstairs by saying there was only one window and not room for two beds, but finally they agreed to take a nursery at the top of the house. Moreover, there is another description about the house that there are people walking in and out and all around the house. All this information tells the reader that the house is not a normal rental house. It is actually a hospital. As has been mentioned, asking questions will help the reader clarify the story and realize that what is real or not.

The second critical thinking habits that useful in interpreting The Yellow Wallpaper is defining terms and concepts. From reading through the story, it tells that Jane is not a normal patient, but she is a mental problem patient. Thus the terms and concepts in the story are delusion and sleep deprivation. In the story, she described that she only sees a woman in the wallpaper moving in low light. In fact, that is impossible to be real. It could be just her delusion because of low light make her ability of seeing are low. Another example is she does not know that she is the one who tear the wallpaper out from the wall. In the story she explained that the wallpaper all around the head of her bed as far as she can reach is stripped off. She does not know who did that. However, further more in the story she mentioned to the wallpaper again, and said It is torn off in spots, and it sticks closer than a brother, which means it is really stick tightly together. But how does she know that? There is another good example to define about her delusion when she was screaming out loud but she thinks that she was talking gently and slowly. At that scene she described that John is outside in front of the door, and calling her to open the door for him, but she said that she cant and said The key is down by the front door under a plantain leaf! again and again very gently and slowly. Her action makes John stopped and silenced for a few moments. Why her gentle voice silenced him except it was loud screaming voice. Sleep deprivation is another term and concept in this story. The cause that she does not sleep will affect her mental sickness even more. Even though John is trying to make her sleep, she only pretends to sleep by lying down and close her eyes and spend that time thinking about something. In addition, sleep deprivation can cause preservation which is make her reaction delay and do or saying something again and again just like is mention above. These two terms are very important key to unlock the situation of her sickness, and it will help the reader understand the point in the story.

The last but not least of most useful habits in interpreting in this story is to analyze assumptions and biases. There will be biases in any writings depend on writers or story tellers. In this case, Jane who is a story teller is a mental problem patient. She sees thing that is not real. She cant even remember what she has done. Then how much the reader can believe about what she has told in the story? The answer is belief in term that the reader has defined along with good supporters. On the other hand, John who is in a doctor and a husband roll is more trustable than Jane who is a patient. Once the reader considers a standpoint of John, he or she will be able to look and understand throughout all bias. Analyzing assumptions and biases will guide the reader to the right solutions and understand the story accurately.

As a final point, these three critical thinking skills: ask question, define terms and concepts, and analyze assumption and biases, are really useful skills in interpreting and help the reader illustrate all component in the story, moreover it also guides the reader to the key in the story. In the case The Yellow Wallpaper, it is a good example story to explain those habits, how to think critically, and what the most useful in interpreting of the critical thinking habits are. Asking questions can help the reader to define that John is a doctor and Janes wife and Jane is actually in the hospital not the rental house that she was describing. Defining terms and concepts help the reader to get concept that there are delusion and sleep deprivation in the story. And analyzing assumptions and biases help the reader to think along when reading before believe everything Jane tells. Finally, once a reader learns and practices using these most useful critical thinking habits: asking question, define terms and concepts and analyze assumptions and biases in the story the reader will understand the point of the story and help to achieve in critical thinking.