The short stories "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Sonny's Blues" are different in many respects. One is written by a white woman in the 19th century, the other by an African-American man in the 20th century. One deals with a depressed writer, the other with an emotionally fragile musician. However, the stories' similarities are greater than their differences. In each story, the protagonist is an artistic soul, and each struggles to fit into the "normal" world. Both Sonny and the wife in "The Yellow Wallpaper" also face deep emotional and mental problems that have affected their relationships as well as their ability to create their art. Each character faces oppression, one as a woman in the 19th century and the other as a black man in the early 20th century. In addition, each has a close family member who tries to control their artistic expression and therefore control their loved one.
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator has been brought to a rented house by her husband, a physician. Although she refers to it as a summer home, it becomes apparent that John has brought his wife here because she is suffering from "a slight hysterical tendency (76)." A later reference to a baby who is cared for by others gives the hint that the narrator may be suffering from post-partum depression. While the wife in this story likes the house, she is not at all happy with the large room at the top of the house, which is the one that her husband insists that she use. She believes it was once a nursery; "the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls (77)." We later discovered that the bed is nailed to the floor as well. This room gives the readers the clues they need to know that this is not a nursery but a place to confine someone who is suffering from a mental illness. As the story continues, we see that the wife is isolated from family and friends and confined to the room most of the time.