“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1899. One of the major themes is the cultural perception of women at that time. This short story is semi-autobiographical in the sense that Gilman went to see the doctor mentioned in the story. She had similar struggles and feelings as the narrator of this story, who is dealing with her husband's controlling nature. As women of this era tried to stay in their private and domestic sphere, they felt hopeless and full of depression. Because of this, Gilman may have been inspired to write this story to help her express her feelings and also bring awareness to society about how some women felt. Through Gilman's use of symbols, she is able to convey that women are repressed and only want to free themselves from their social slavery. This story is about a doctor, John, who, after seeing his wife, has contracted a "nervous breakdown - a slight hysterical tendency", takes her to a summer "vacation" house to let her rest and recover from his pressing illness. (Gilman, 1899) After being placed in what appears to be a nursery, the narrator becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper that envelopes the room. At first she describes it as meaningless and unimportant, but she soon becomes obsessed with the shapes that begin to appear on the paper. John and his sister Jennie observe the narrator and believe that her condition is improving due to the rest she is receiving and the fact that the narrator is not allowed to do anything that might induce more nervous behaviors. After her obsession with wallpaper reaches its peak, the narrator locks herself in her room. She then begins to crawl around the room, rubbing herself against the middle of the paper…paper” was probably a shock to many people of that era. Society viewed women who wanted to express their ideas about a culture in which women had rights as hysterical. Gilman was even treated by a doctor because she had become depressed due to her lack of opportunities in society. Women were driven into a state of depression because they believed they were missing an important aspect in life. Gilman was able to express her thoughts and emotions, and in doing so, she worked to shine a light on the oppressions that women faced during this time. Through this expression, she was able to break the paper and slavery of society that kept women silent in their domestic sphere. Works Cited Kennedy, XJ and Dana Gioia. “The yellow wallpaper.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 2011. Print.