The Yellow Wallpaper
The Yellow Wallpaper
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper Themes

Little Words, Big Ideas

Freedom and Confinement

The narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is essentially confined to a single room in a large house. Conversely, her husband frequently spends his nights in town as part of his duties as a bigshot doc...

Madness

Due to the narrator’s confinement, she begins losing her sanity. Most importantly for this story, we see the narrator’s descent into madness through her eyes. Readers stay with the narr...

Gender

The reason for the narrator’s confinement is her gender. Although explicit references to either gender in the text are rare, there is certainly a gendered subtext, especially given what we kn...

Literature and Writing

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," writing is a healthy means of self-actualization denied to the narrator. The narrator portrays writing positively in the story, believing that it will help her depression...

Society and Class

The story and message of "The Yellow Wallpaper" are rooted in a very specific class and societal dynamic. The narrator is a member of the upper class; she and her husband are wealthy enough to take...