The story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a classic of American literature that explores themes of gender roles, mental illness, and the oppression of women in the late 19th century. The narrator, who is unnamed, is a woman who has been confined to a room by her husband, a physician, due to what he believes is a nervous disorder. The room is covered in yellow wallpaper, which the narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with as she spends more time in isolation. As the story progresses, the narrator's grip on reality begins to slip, and she becomes convinced that there is a woman trapped inside the wallpaper. The story is a powerful critique of the societal norms and expectations placed on women during this time period, and it continues to be studied and debated by scholars today.
By Charlotte Perkins Gilman · First published 1892 · Genre: Feminist Literature, Social Critique, Historical Fiction