No one is intrinsically mad; humans have caused other humans to drown out their own reason, which can then plunge that person into an ocean of madness. Historically, insanity had become a common phenomenon among women due to several stressors they had to endure on a daily basis: finding a husband, having children, raising children, finding a suitable job, maintaining one's femininity, etc. Authors Charlotte Gilman and Jhumpa Lahiri explored the psyches of two women facing very stressful situations. Gilman's The Yellow-Wallpaper introduces its readers to an anonymous 19th-century woman who slowly descends into madness. The protagonist must undergo the “rest cure” where she must live without artistic expression, human contact, or freedom to go wherever she pleases. After months of endurance, she is finally pushed into madness by her husband, who had initially started her treatment. Lahiri's protagonist, Aparna, is forced into an arranged marriage, then moves to Boston with her new husband to live a new life with their daughter, Usha. Aparna is neglected by her husband, struggles to adapt to Boston culture, and spends most of her time being a housewife. She finally finds a friend, and perhaps a love interest, in another Bengali named Pranab. Once engaged and then married, Aparna tells Usha that she was on the verge of committing suicide. Both characters were controlled and had little to no say in what they could or could not do. These constraints, added to the stress they have faced, bring them both to the brink of madness. Women who have had to struggle to do what is expected of them while trying to do what they desire come up against many constraints that force them to move away from the middle of paper...... expression of oneself can then be lost. Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte P. "Gilman, Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper." Gilman, why did I write the yellow wallpaper. The Precursor, 1913. Web. February 17, 2014. Gilman, Charlotte. “The yellow wallpaper” DiYanni, Robert. Yellow wallpaper. Literature: reading fiction, poetry and drama. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 542-52. Print.Lahiri, Jhumpa. “Hell’s Heaven” DiYanni, Robery. Hell-heaven. Literature: reading fiction, poetry and theater. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 348-361. Print.Muhi, Maysoon T. "'Much Madness is the Most Divine Sense': Madness in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper'" 'Much Madness is the Most Divine Sense': Madness in " The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (2009): 1 -17.Isaj.net. College of Women's Education, University of Baghdad, 2009. Web. February 15. 2014.