Charlotte Perkins Gilman -The yellow Wallpaper. (The Mad Woman in the Attic)

Firstly the story was written in 1892 and Gilman was a precedent to the later suffragettes rebelling against the patriarchal society and advocating for women to gain socioeconomic independence from their husbands.

It is heavily emphasised that this story is, in fact, autobiographical; Gilman suffered postpartum depression during her marriage to her first husband. She was treated by a physician dubbed Dr S.W Mitchell who prescribed the "resting cure" which in modern times would be seen as enabling depressive tendencies.

It is believed the book is a protest to the medical profession and the stigma of mental illness in the 19th century whilst additionally being a veiled metaphor for the subordination of women in society and the importance of self-expression.

The story is in the epistolary form similar to works such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It consists of the narrator's secret journal entries. Said text can easily fit into the theme of Gothic horror due to the supernatural sequel events. It must be noted from the beginning that the narrator has no name illustrating that she as a woman is anonymous in society this could further be linked with Mrs De Winter in the novel Rebecca by Daphne du mariner who is known only by her married name illustrating her as nothing more than her husband's property and successor of his first wife Rebecca.

The narrator and her husband John spend the summer at a gorgeous colonial mansion isolated from society. From the get-go, we as readers can spot unhealthy elements of John and the narrator's relationship. He laughs at her and her opinions and belittles her opinions. John is scientific yet unenlightened. Completely in contrast to his inquisitive and creative wife, he boils his wife's illness down to "temporary nervous depression -a slight hysterical tendency" She is forbidden to work and only to rest. It is without a doubt his wife's views juxtapose his, she believes "congenial work with excitement and change would do her good" with modern research into depression she is right. She is posted in the top room of the house in the attic. A large airy room with giant windows, rings and things on the wall, a heavy bed nailed to the floor and revolting yellow wallpaper.

The narrator elaborately describes the wallpaper in great lengths. In the beginning, she hates it "the colour is repellent almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow strangely faded by the slow turning sun" the speaker is adamant that the room was converted from a nursery but indeed my interpretation is that the house was once a home to mentally ill patients. What nursery would have a bed nailed to the floor and rings in the walls? With what little stimulation the voice has becomes invested in figuring out the shapes on the wallpaper and eventually becomes insomniac and stays awake at night in attempts to solve the puzzle that is the wallpaper.

This consistent activity is the very thing that sees the end of her sanity. She fancies that she sees a woman trapped by bars within the wallpaper.

The Yellow Wallpaper is a definitely a haunting read if you are interested in feminism or mental illness in the 1800s.