Beginning of Essay
The “Yellow Wallpaper” is a Descent into Madness in the nineteenth century. During this period of Literature, women were often portrayed as submissive to men and often-characterized women as oppressed by society, as well as by the male influences in their li ....

Middle of Essay
.... The house is supposed to be a place where she can recover from severe postpartum depression. She loves her baby, but knows she is not able to take care of him. “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous”(Gilman 293). The symbolism utilized by Gilman is somewhat askew from the conventional. A house usually symbolizes security but in this story the opposite is true. The protagonist, whose name we never learn, feels trapped by the walls of the house, just as she is trapped by her mental illness. The windows of her room, which normally would symbolize a sense of free ....