“The Yellow Wallpaper” is the story of a woman who descends into psychosis in a chilling tale that depicts the harm of an ancient therapy called “rest cure”. This therapy was used to treat women who had "mild hysterical tendencies" and depression, and essentially consisted of the inhibition of mental processes. The label "mild hysterical tendency" indicates that it is not considered a very important issue and is rather taken lightly. It's also ironic because her illness is obviously not "mild", especially towards the end when the painted images of her are reminiscent of a psychotic, manic person, while she aggressively tears off the wallpaper and confuses the real world with its alternative. world she made which includes a woman trapped in the wallpaper. The narrator of this story becomes obsessed with her bedroom wallpaper because her husband minimizes her exposure to the outside world and maximizes her rest. Academic essayists such as Susan M. Gilbert, Susan Gubar, and Elaine Showalter have a feminist reading of history, but it is not the most important reading. The author personally experienced the torments of the rest cure, which means that the story is most likely a commentary on the great mistreatment caused by depression, hysteria and mental disorders in general. Despite Gilbert, Gubar, and Showalter's claims that "Yellow Wallpaper" is solely feminist propaganda, their analysis is often unnecessarily thorough and their assertions are often unjustified, resulting in an inaccurate depiction of a story that bears above all on mistreatment in general. psychosis and descent into madness regardless of gender. When things are too tense, they become weaker...... middle of paper ......shows that this is a feminist reading, which is not convincing. Ultimately, there is more information supporting the fact that it's not about women, but everyone who faces this problem. The message of “Yellow Wallpaper” concerns the unfair and reprehensible treatment of mental disorders. Works Cited Charters, Ann. The story and its author. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print. Gilbert, Sandra M. and Susan Gubar. “A feminist reading of “The Yellow Wallpaper”.” The story and its author. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. 1629-1631. Print. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The yellow wallpaper”. The story and its author. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. 462-473. Print. Showalter, Elaine. "On 'The Yellow Wallpaper'." The story and its author. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. 1631-1636. Print.