In The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses her personal battle with postpartum depression to create a powerful story shining a light on the trials women in the nineteenth century had to face while living in this misogynistic society. ... Gilman makes it clear that much of John's almost paternal behavior toward his wife has little to do with her illness but more to do with how she was inferior to him in this relationship. John speaks to the narrator as he would a child, calling her his "little girl" (Gilman 652) and saying things like "Bless her little heart.&q...

• Word Count: 529
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate