The Yellow Wallpaper

In Perkins Gilman's creepy short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, many issues are addressed through the behavior of the main character. The story is about a young woman who has just given birth and is experiencing post partum stress disorder. Her husband being a doctor, has demanded that she stay locked up in this peculiar room with yellow wallpaper to get well. The actions that prevail this decision can be interpreted in many different ways. First, the wall bothers the narrator, then she starts to notice odd patterns, and near the end the wall comes alive to her. The author could be using the strange behavior to point out the mistreatment of women during this time, as we've seen in other nineteenth century texts. For instance, on page 363 the narrator says, " I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I can't do it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once." She can't even walk around the room when John is there without him judging her. The fact that she is locked away in this room 24/7 is definitely the reason for her delirium. If her husband would allow her to be around people or get back in the swing of things by living her life, maybe she wouldn't go so crazy.