ENGL 1405 – World Literature

University of the People

Drama
Living in the world of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman would be

profoundly oppressive and disempowering. As a woman, my autonomy and intellectual pursuits

would be curtailed, my emotional distress dismissed, and my expressions of dissatisfaction

pathologized, just as the protagonist’s were. My day would largely consist of confinement,

stripped of any meaningful activities or interactions, leaving me to internalize my frustrations

and fears. The inescapable domestic sphere would be my only reality, the disconcerting pattern

of the yellow wallpaper would be my only distraction, ultimately leading me down a path of

deteriorating mental health, where I find myself losing grip on reality, like the protagonist,

creating a sense of deep dread and frustration.

Reference

Gilman, C. P. (n.d.). The Yellow Wallpaper.

https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1711936/mod_book/chapter/443894/The-Yellow-Wall-

Paper.pdf