Loneliness in the Yellow Wallpaper and Metamorphosis Victims Numerous victims of mental illness are continuously conflicted with relations between themselves along with others. However, the stigma shrouding mental illness has lessened over the years. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilbert and “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka, the protagonists both partake in a sense of suffocation and isolation leading to negative outcomes. In “The Yellow Wallpaper" the protagonist is in a room with only yellow wallpaper to give her company, which then makes her go absurd. Likewise in the “Metamorphosis,” the protagonist's transformation into a giant insect makes him become an outcast from society. Kafka and Gilman exemplify the detrimental effects of isolation, ultimately illustrating that isolation can result in variations of mental illness. Why? …show more content…
The protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is put into a room alone, isolated from the outside world with nasty wallpaper, a little table, and a bed. The woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” was admitted to the room because of postpartum depression. The woman says that life is “much more exciting now than it used to be.” When she made this statement it was after she quite literally lost herself and went crazy running around the room and examining the walls deeply. Knowledge of mental health and illness at that time was little to none leading to this very poor way of