In literature, women are often portrayed as weak, docile and inferior to men. The 19th century was a time when women were repressed and controlled by their husbands and other male figures. Charlotte Gilman wrote “The Yellow Wallpaper,” showing her disagreement with the limits that society placed on women in the 19th century. According to Edsitement, the story is based on an event in Gilman's life. Gilman was suffering from depression and she went to see a doctor named Silas Weir Mitchell. He prescribes the rest cure, which then drives her crazy. She then rebelled against his advice and moved to California to continue writing. She then wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper", which is an inflated version of her experience. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the main character goes through depression and is oppressed by her husband. She represents the oppression that many women face in society. Gilman illustrates this effect through the use of symbols such as yellow wallpaper, baby's room, and barred windows. The nursery in the story symbolizes how women were treated like children. In the story, the narrator's husband places her in a nursery because she suffered from post-pardon depression and he felt that she should not be able to see her child while she was sick. The more she begins to settle into the room, the more she begins to behave like a child. Like a baby, she couldn't leave the room whenever she wanted, she couldn't do anything but stare at the wall and ceiling, and she was kept in one place under the care of her husband. John treated her like a child, calling her names like "blessed little goose" and "little girl." Just like a baby, she cried for nothing most of the middle of the paper demonstrates the oppression that women faced in society in the 19th century. The baby's room, the yellow wallpaper, and the windows all symbolize in one way or another the oppression of women by men. She bases the story on one of her life experiences. Charlotte Gilman wrote this story because she believed that men and women should be treated equally. Works Cited Beckman, Mary. “Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” Webster University. Internet. March 5, 2011. “Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman.” Britannica: Academic Edition. 2011. Internet. March 7, 2011. ““Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Women’s Writing. » EDSITEment: The best of humanities on the Web. Internet. March 05, 2011. Gilman, Charlotte. “The yellow wallpaper.” Literature, a world of writing: stories, poems, plays and essays. Ed. David Pike and Ana Acosta. New York: Longman, 2011. 543-51. Print.