dominated by men. Especially in the nineteenth century, when women were authorized,

controlled, and influenced by the imperious male. In the "The Yellow Wallpaper", by

Charlotte Gilman, the dominant husband pushes his submissive wife from depression into

insanity. It is a bitter story of a young women driven into lunacy by her so called "loving"

husband-doctor. This short story vividly reflects a woman in torment caused by her

controlling husband, and presents the choices a woman makes to break free.

This short story begins with a hysterical woman who is very overprotected by her

husband John. She was taken to a summer home to recover from her nervous condition.

She is told to only rest and sleep; she is not even allowed to write. "I must put this away,

he hates to have me write a word" (410). This shows how ruling and controlling John is

over her, as both a husband and doctor. She is "absolutely forbidden to work until" she is

"well again" (411). Here, John seems to be more of a father than a husband, nevertheless

still taking the role of the dominant male.

Although the narrator feels desolate and frantic abou

of myself for his sake, and keep well"(411). In telling her to keep well, John just

her submission to John as his "blessed little goose"(415), but at what price? She wins at

secret opinion about the reason why she is sick and cannot get better is because her

(418)! Her fight for and with the woman in the wallpaper symbolizes her fight for

protective love John offers to her. "He takes all care from me, and I feel so basely

Some common words found in the essay are:
Charlotte Gilman, , short story, break free, complete faith, true self, blessed little, loving husband-doctor,
Approximate Word count = 1079
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)