“The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story as chilling and relevant today as it was upon its initial publication in 1892. The story is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature for its depiction of the attitudes towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century. It is also lauded as an excellent work of gothic and horror fiction.

Diagnosed by her physician husband with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” after the birth of their child, a woman is urged to rest for the Summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wall-paper.

Gilman’s view of a woman’s place in traditional marriage, along with the spotlight she placed on society’s attitude towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century, were considered radical at the time of its publication. Gilman herself was an intellectual voice and staunch supporter of women’s rights, who frequently used her writing to explore the role of women in America. Today, “The Yellow Wall-Paper” is one of the most famous and most analyzed short stories of all time. Through her work, Gilman paved the way for writers such as Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf.

A condemnation of the patriarchy, “The Yellow Wall-Paper” explores with haunting accuracy the oppression, grave misunderstanding, and willful dismissal of women in late nineteenth-century society. With a profound relevancy as terrifying as the tale itself, Gilman’s 6,000 words beg us to ask of ourselves how much in over a hundred years has changed.