Gilman and her brother were raised by their mother due to their father abandoning the family. Gilman went to school in Hartford, Connecticut, and later in life became an artist (Bloom 126-127). After the birth of her daughter, Gilman had a breakdown; what we call post-natal depression today (Kerr 1). She divorced her husband, Charles Stetson, after an unhappy marriage in which she was depressed, and left her daughter in his care (“Gilman, Charlotte Perkins” 400). In 1887, Gilman’s depression was treated in a Philadelphia sanatorium using Silas Weir Mitchells rest cure, but it was very harmless and unsuccessful (Hudock 1). The cure she was treated with depressed her even more, stripped her of all her joy in life, and followed her for years to come. Calum A. Kerr says, “[a]fterwards she blamed the cure for the development for the depressive illness which plagued her for the rest of her life and which likely contributed to her life death by suicide in 1935” (1). The breakdown she experienced affected the rest of her life in both a negative and a positive way. It affected her family and how she lived the rest of her life. On the other hand, it made her into the person she was. She overcame her struggles which shaped her into a strong woman. She was a well-known writer and fought for her beliefs. When explaining Gilman’s style, Amy E. Hudock states, “Charlotte Perkins Gilman used her personal bout with postpartum depression to
Gilman and her brother were raised by their mother due to their father abandoning the family. Gilman went to school in Hartford, Connecticut, and later in life became an artist (Bloom 126-127). After the birth of her daughter, Gilman had a breakdown; what we call post-natal depression today (Kerr 1). She divorced her husband, Charles Stetson, after an unhappy marriage in which she was depressed, and left her daughter in his care (“Gilman, Charlotte Perkins” 400). In 1887, Gilman’s depression was treated in a Philadelphia sanatorium using Silas Weir Mitchells rest cure, but it was very harmless and unsuccessful (Hudock 1). The cure she was treated with depressed her even more, stripped her of all her joy in life, and followed her for years to come. Calum A. Kerr says, “[a]fterwards she blamed the cure for the development for the depressive illness which plagued her for the rest of her life and which likely contributed to her life death by suicide in 1935” (1). The breakdown she experienced affected the rest of her life in both a negative and a positive way. It affected her family and how she lived the rest of her life. On the other hand, it made her into the person she was. She overcame her struggles which shaped her into a strong woman. She was a well-known writer and fought for her beliefs. When explaining Gilman’s style, Amy E. Hudock states, “Charlotte Perkins Gilman used her personal bout with postpartum depression to