In the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the story takes place in the 19th century, where coping with mental illness was as similar as coping to any physical disorder. Paranoia was a very common mental disorder in the 19th century. Indeed, “under the unerring gaze of the two bulbous eyes with yellow wallpaper, the narrator goes through stages ranging from worry to paranoia and, finally, madness” (Bak P5). This quote shows his evolution into madness through the creative description the narrator gave about the yellow wallpaper. The relationship between creativity and madness is closely linked because the narrator only thinks about the yellow wallpaper, with what it means, which drives her to total madness. In the 19th century, prisons were used to isolate murderers and mentally ill writers. Zott said: “The early 19th century writer imagined the prison as a place of idealized suffering and monastic isolation that were necessary for creativity and growth. » (Zott P6). Back then, writers had to be locked up in prisons so as not to harm anyone in the world. 19th century society placed in the minds of citizens the need to lock up writers and people with mental disorders. Zott said: “They also recognize a certain degree of confinement as a condition of their art” (Zott P5). The article discusses how writers believe that because of their art they should be confined. Prisons of the time had a lot of immovable furniture, which made their craziness even worse due to being so confined to one area. John S. Bak further states: “She is bothered by the immobile bed but gnaws her leg to free it; and she even remains curiously impartial to the idea of ​​being chained with the rings. (Balk...... middle of paper ...... bottom "Wallpaper: An Autobiography of Emotions. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Thomas L. Erskine and Connie L. Richards. The Yellow Wallpaper New- Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1993. Print. Korb, Rena. "An Overview of 'The Yellow Wallpaper'." DetroitGale. Literature Resource Center March 13, 2014. Stephens, Rebecca: Guide. ShortFiction reference. Ed. Noelle Watson Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web March 13, 2014. Thomas, Deborah. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilmans. nd Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper” Web. March 11, 2014Zott, Lynn M. “Prison in Nineteenth-Century Literature.”.. 2014.