A review by emmaisnotavampire
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A thrilling and engaging short story, eerily depicting the quick descent into madness of a woman suffering from "hysteria" and "nervousness", as men back then used to address any being of the female gender who expressed emotions in a way that did not please their fragile patriarchal ego. Through the scary tale of creepy creatures and progressing insanity, the author also very clearly condemns the attitude that her contemporaries assumed towards mental health, especially feminine mental health, which paradoxically often caused its worsening instead of its healing. Furthermore, the tone is evidently strongly feministic, and the author clearly states that treating women as good-looking objects or pets at best, and thinking that because of their inferior nature they can easily be controlled, and should be for their own wellbeing, is wrong, dangerous and silly. Kind of a pity it was so short though, as it could not really transmit a lot of emotion in such a limited amount of words, leaving the reader a lot more indifferent than it potentially could have.