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The Yellow Wallpaper
The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story written in the late 19th century, often associated with the feminist literature genre. The narrative explores the themes of mental illness, gender roles, and the constraints faced by women in a patriarchal society. It follows the mental deterioration of a woman who is confined to a room by her husband, who is also her physician, under the pretense of helping her recover from what he diagnoses as temporary nervous depression. The story is presented as a series of journal entries written by an unnamed woman who is taken to a secluded mansion for rest cure. As she spends time in the nursery, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the room's yellow wallpaper, which she finds repulsive yet fascinating. Over time, she perceives a figure of a woman trapped within the wallpaper, reflecting her own feelings of oppression and entrapment. As the protagonist's isolation and desperation grow, she begins to identify with the figure, leading to a dramatic climax where she asserts her will by tearing down the wallpaper, ultimately rejecting the control her husband has over her life. The story is a powerful commentary on the struggles against patriarchal domination and the importance of self-identity and freedom.
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Published November 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews
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May 11, 2025Girl, kill him, you deserve a treat.
June 3, 2025
this is why you should always believe women!!!
March 1, 2026
fiction but make it feminist resistance. well yes!! 👏
July 27, 2025
The Yellow Wallpaper
is a short but powerful story about a woman slowly losing her mind while being kept isolated in a room for “rest.” Her husband seems to mean well, but he does not listen to her, and that makes things worse. Charlotte Perkins Gilman quickly shows how damaging it can be when people are not heard or taken seriously.
The story feels tense and a little creepy. The wallpaper in the room becomes a strange and scary symbol of her growing fear and frustration. It’s not full of action, but it pulls you in and makes you think.
I recommend it if you like stories that are emotional, unsettling, and still feel important today. I listened for free on Spotify during my evening walk.
The story feels tense and a little creepy. The wallpaper in the room becomes a strange and scary symbol of her growing fear and frustration. It’s not full of action, but it pulls you in and makes you think.
I recommend it if you like stories that are emotional, unsettling, and still feel important today. I listened for free on Spotify during my evening walk.
December 1, 2025
valid crashout queen
November 23, 2025
I had no idea this book was written 130 years ago. It’s incredible how modern the writing and topics are
August 1, 2025
okay queen
March 3, 2026
She's my spirit animal.
July 16, 2025
I’ve been meaning to read this since I read it in school. I actually enjoyed this. I liked how the writing was direct but not direct. It’s like the author was telling you what was really happening, but you couldn’t really tell because of the main character’s “vivid imagination” and her being “anxious.” And the writing itself feels like it haunts you try to piece together what’s happening.
January 9, 2026
her crashout was so valid
February 27, 2026
great short story
March 11, 2025
*** forgot to write my review, here’s my thoughts after a while:
I think the ending is so ambiguous but I’ve come to the conclusion that she must have actually killed herself and that’s why the husband fainted. It’s very possible that this house is some sort of private asylum, and thats why the bed is all bolted down and gnawed on. girl when she started gnawing on the post too I knew she was a goner. it’s interesting, I see how this is feminist literature as her husband is ye old classic psych misogynist that is hyping up her mental health issues (cough cough ACTIVE PSYCHOSIS) to just girlie things hysteria and the solution is to lock her away. But the way she makes loose associations and ideas of reference have me super intrigued. Also, interesting that all her hallucinations are visual but this is also from ye olden times. Liked it a lot and I enjoyed trying to guess on what happened versus didn’t
I think the ending is so ambiguous but I’ve come to the conclusion that she must have actually killed herself and that’s why the husband fainted. It’s very possible that this house is some sort of private asylum, and thats why the bed is all bolted down and gnawed on. girl when she started gnawing on the post too I knew she was a goner. it’s interesting, I see how this is feminist literature as her husband is ye old classic psych misogynist that is hyping up her mental health issues (cough cough ACTIVE PSYCHOSIS) to just girlie things hysteria and the solution is to lock her away. But the way she makes loose associations and ideas of reference have me super intrigued. Also, interesting that all her hallucinations are visual but this is also from ye olden times. Liked it a lot and I enjoyed trying to guess on what happened versus didn’t
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2025
I found myself looking up more about this story as soon as I finished it. It’s wild how the “cure” for women’s depression used to be doing absolutely nothing—no writing, no thinking, just isolation and staring at wallpaper. Honestly, I’d start seeing things too.
April 15, 2025
I don’t even know how to rate this! 😭
It’s a really short story (like 40 something pages) and it definitely kept me intrigued the whole time! It was really interesting being in the MC’s head and seeing how her situation was affecting her.
Definitely recommend if you just want something short and mind-boggling to read.
It’s a really short story (like 40 something pages) and it definitely kept me intrigued the whole time! It was really interesting being in the MC’s head and seeing how her situation was affecting her.
Definitely recommend if you just want something short and mind-boggling to read.
January 17, 2026
reading this gave me a new historical appreciation for why so many women in the past felt compelled to poison their husbands
February 4, 2026
What even happened. I’m so confused
October 28, 2024
Scary in a too real way for women of this time, with a dose of environmental creepy sprinkled on top to bring it all home.
May 10, 2025
3.5
claustrophobic as hell
claustrophobic as hell
June 22, 2025
I did not understand the ending but okay...
January 31, 2026
3.5. I haven't read this since high school but found myself thinking about it and wanted to revisit it.
It just makes me angry how little women were (and still are) taken seriously in society and by men, especially in terms of mental health. And what a tragic story. The way the audience follows along as the main character details her personal experience falling into psychosis.
I empathized with this novella a lot more in my 20s than I did in my teens. Definitely worth rereading.
It just makes me angry how little women were (and still are) taken seriously in society and by men, especially in terms of mental health. And what a tragic story. The way the audience follows along as the main character details her personal experience falling into psychosis.
I empathized with this novella a lot more in my 20s than I did in my teens. Definitely worth rereading.
September 17, 2025
Wait... omg... what???
February 2, 2026
unfortunately
March 1, 2026
et on dit merci Alice!!
February 17, 2026
Really weird but very interesting
January 31, 2026
Short but packs a punch. Chilling and claustrophobic account of the many failures of the healthcare system for women, if you can even call what’s depicted in this story as ‘healthcare’. I’m not the first and won’t be the last to compare it to “The Bell Jar”, although Plath’s story is definitely more beautiful and probing. The horror aspect of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is fun though, plus it’s short. Easy recommend!
February 27, 2026
I got full body chills!
December 11, 2025
⭐☆☆☆☆ — 1 star / 5
(“Respect the intention, but… absolutely not for me.”)
“It is so hard to talk with people about the thing that haunts you.”
This line sums up my entire experience with this audiobook — haunting, claustrophobic, and absolutely dripping in chaotic energy… but also confusing enough that I finished it asking, “What did I just listen to?”
✦ My Feelings Going In
I knew it was a modern reimagining of the classic short story — I expected unsettling, psychological, suffocating.
What I didn’t expect was the level of pure disorientation. Not the good kind that pulls you deeper… the kind where you’re trying to piece things together but the book keeps slipping through your fingers.
✦ Premise (Short & Clear)
A woman is sent away to recover from emotional and physical exhaustion. Isolation becomes oppression, which becomes obsession. The wallpaper in her room starts feeling alive, her mind unravels, and the line between metaphor and madness dissolves.
✦ Characters & World-Building
There’s atmosphere for days — that creeping, trapped feeling is on point.
But the actual world? Blurry.
The characters? Even blurrier.
I kept wishing the emotional anchors were sharper so I could settle into something instead of drifting in confusion.
✦ Audiobook Experience
Cynthia Erivo’s performance is stunning. Like… she commits.
Her voice carries tension, fear, fragility — all the things the story wants you to feel.
But even her talent couldn’t save the narrative chaos.
It’s like she was performing a masterpiece inside a maze.
✦ Pacing & Writing
Messy. Intentionally messy, but still messy.
It ramps up fast, spirals even faster, and ends before you’ve fully grasped the descent. The writing nails the psychological collapse but sacrifices clarity to do it.
✦ What Worked
• The oppressive, tense atmosphere
• Strong thematic roots in women’s autonomy and mental health
• A raw, unsettling descent into madness
• Gorgeous, haunting narration
✦ What Didn’t
• Confusing to the point of distraction
• Emotionally heavy but not emotionally connecting
• Plot threads that lead nowhere
• Unclear symbolism that lands as noise instead of impact
• More chaos than payoff
✦ Why I’m Giving It 1 Star
I respect what it wanted to do.
I see the artistic intention.
But I didn’t enjoy a single moment, and I walked away feeling unsettled in a “I need to cleanse my brain” kind of way — not the satisfying horror way.
This is a classic case of:
Memorable? Yes.
Effective? Sure.
Would I ever listen again or recommend it? Absolutely not.
(“Respect the intention, but… absolutely not for me.”)
“It is so hard to talk with people about the thing that haunts you.”
This line sums up my entire experience with this audiobook — haunting, claustrophobic, and absolutely dripping in chaotic energy… but also confusing enough that I finished it asking, “What did I just listen to?”
✦ My Feelings Going In
I knew it was a modern reimagining of the classic short story — I expected unsettling, psychological, suffocating.
What I didn’t expect was the level of pure disorientation. Not the good kind that pulls you deeper… the kind where you’re trying to piece things together but the book keeps slipping through your fingers.
✦ Premise (Short & Clear)
A woman is sent away to recover from emotional and physical exhaustion. Isolation becomes oppression, which becomes obsession. The wallpaper in her room starts feeling alive, her mind unravels, and the line between metaphor and madness dissolves.
✦ Characters & World-Building
There’s atmosphere for days — that creeping, trapped feeling is on point.
But the actual world? Blurry.
The characters? Even blurrier.
I kept wishing the emotional anchors were sharper so I could settle into something instead of drifting in confusion.
✦ Audiobook Experience
Cynthia Erivo’s performance is stunning. Like… she commits.
Her voice carries tension, fear, fragility — all the things the story wants you to feel.
But even her talent couldn’t save the narrative chaos.
It’s like she was performing a masterpiece inside a maze.
✦ Pacing & Writing
Messy. Intentionally messy, but still messy.
It ramps up fast, spirals even faster, and ends before you’ve fully grasped the descent. The writing nails the psychological collapse but sacrifices clarity to do it.
✦ What Worked
• The oppressive, tense atmosphere
• Strong thematic roots in women’s autonomy and mental health
• A raw, unsettling descent into madness
• Gorgeous, haunting narration
✦ What Didn’t
• Confusing to the point of distraction
• Emotionally heavy but not emotionally connecting
• Plot threads that lead nowhere
• Unclear symbolism that lands as noise instead of impact
• More chaos than payoff
✦ Why I’m Giving It 1 Star
I respect what it wanted to do.
I see the artistic intention.
But I didn’t enjoy a single moment, and I walked away feeling unsettled in a “I need to cleanse my brain” kind of way — not the satisfying horror way.
This is a classic case of:
Memorable? Yes.
Effective? Sure.
Would I ever listen again or recommend it? Absolutely not.
December 31, 2025
A short but sweet read. It was a bit creepy as she lost her mind but hey it was entertaining 😭
November 23, 2025
Goosebumps are erupting and dancing all over my head!!!!!
"This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!
There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside-down."
Azar 2nd, 1404
"This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!
There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside-down."
Azar 2nd, 1404
July 12, 2025
A very short story and absolutely worth the read. I hesitate to give too much away because part of its impact comes from experiencing it firsthand, but I will say this: The Yellow Wallpaper is a haunting and powerful look at the ways women were silenced and confined by society’s expectations at the time. Through its unsettling atmosphere and psychological depth, it becomes a quiet but undeniable feminist call-out against those imprisoning roles. I highly recommend everyone take the time to read this. It’s brief, but it lingers with you long after.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews