Philosophical Review: The Yellow Wallpaper Written by: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

 

John is a man of science. He is well-educated, wealthy, and respectful of societal morality, effortlessly distinguishing right from wrong. As a smart and experienced man, he dictates his wife's entire lifestyle. The narrator remains unnamed to emphasize that women had no rights and were viewed as weak, infantile creatures. Confined to a prison-like room, John's wife can neither read nor write, and she is forbidden from speaking to strangers. In John's eyes, these restrictions are the only way to cure her depression. The story of this woman, confined to her home by her husband, gives rise to a compelling dilemma: is madness a form of freedom from a patriarchal society?