A woman driven mad by postpartum depression and dangerous treatment summarizes the short story of “The Yellow Wallpaper”. The story was influenced by the depression of 19th century women and their outlook on life. Through the spooky symbolism of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman is able to speak volumes about the destruction and autonomy of feminist expression, the restrictions of gender roles, and the patriarchal paradigm. In advocating the social, political, legal and economic rights of women equal to those of men, Charlotte Perkins Gilman speaks of the "condition of womanhood" in her 1892 short story "The Yellow Wallpaper", writing about the life of a woman and what made him lose his mind. The narrator goes mad in part because her role as a woman prescribed in 1892 is severely limited. One example is that her husband forbids her from “working,” which includes working and writing. This prevents her from expressing what she really feels from the start. Even if she is prohibited from working, her husband can still practice his profession as a doctor. This makes the narrator inferior to her husband and to men in general. The narrator is incapable of being who she wants, doing what she wants, and saying what she wants without her husband's permission. This makes the narrator feel trapped and has no escape except through the yellow wallpaper of the room. The narrator becomes obsessed with the wallpaper, which makes him believe that the paper is moving. She says: “The pattern on the front moves – and no wonder! The woman behind is shaking him! The narrator thinks that there are many women behind the yellow wallpaper, but only one can crawl, the woman chokes to climb through the yellow paper because of its pattern. Sh...... middle of paper ......ps even a subordinate dependent in most cases. Societal control of the accepted conditions by which a woman can function and live lends itself to the ultimate subjugation of women, particularly with regard to her personal expression and dissent. Gilman does an extraordinary job of effectively communicating and transforming this apparent truth into a strange tale about one woman's gradual spiral toward the depths of madness. This descent is, however, marked by nuances of opportunity. On the one hand, the narrator has lost all hope. On the other hand, she found freedom by losing all hope. This subversion of the patriarchal paradigm is tactfully juxtaposed against a backdrop of the pitfalls of madness. Works Cited “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Short stories for students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Flight. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 277-293. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. November 26. 2015.