Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote an amazing story in 1892 called “The Yellow Wallpaper”. The story is full of symbolism and was inspired by Gilman's own struggles in his life. This analysis of his work will cover some important parts of the author's life, the characters, the setting of the story and the plot. Throughout the analysis, explanations will be given about the symbols and how the author related his personal experiences to the story. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's work, "The Yellow Wallpaper," is a story the author wrote to describe her own struggle with mental illness. In order to truly appreciate this story, it may be helpful to know about the author's life. Born in 1860, she was the only child of Mary Finch Westcott and Frederick Beecher Perkins, a librarian and writer. It is said that Charlotte's father abandoned his family and, on the brink of poverty, they were forced to move frequently (Merriman). At the age of 24, Charlotte married her first husband, Charles Watson Stetson, with whom she had a daughter, Katharine Beecher Stetson. Shortly after giving birth, Charlotte began suffering from severe postpartum depression and had a nervous breakdown. She spent some time in a sanitarium in Pennsylvania, under the care of Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell (Merriman). In 1913, Gilman wrote "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper'"; for many years I suffered from a severe and ongoing nervous breakdown tending towards melancholy – and beyond. During about the third year of these troubles, I went, with pious faith and a slight impulse of hope, to a renowned specialist in nervous diseases, the best known in the country. This wise man put me to bed and applied the rest cure, to which a still good physique responded so promptly that he concluded that there was no...... middle of paper ......the characters in the story, the setting of the story, and the plot of the story. Although times have changed dramatically since Gilman wrote her story, I hope that women everywhere read "The Yellow Wallpaper," recognize the difficulties she faced in her life, and be grateful that she chose not to accept advice from a male doctor. wanting her to submit to a domestic, docile, stereotypical housewife's life. Works Cited Booth, Allison and Kelly Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2010. Merriman, CD “Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” Jalic, Inc. 2006. February 27, 2015. http://www.online-literature.com/charlotte-perkins-gilman/.Voight, Heather “Symbols in Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” » 2010. February 27, 2015. http://www.helium.com/items/1753292-symbols-in-the-white-wallpaper.