The purpose and effect of the setting in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” are central. The unnamed narrator’s suffering seems inevitably linked to the room she occupies. She describes the wallpapering as “repellant” and “almost revolting.” The room creates an atmosphere of disgust that infects the narrator and much else in her life. Like the wallpaper, the writing paper, the weather, and her husband upset her. Throughout the short story, the narrator is discontent. She has trouble sleeping and writing. Her restless condition is framed by the “hideous” wallpaper.

The way in which the narrator interacts with her setting establishes the setting as a character. Perkins employs pathetic fallacy in her short story. That is, she confers human feelings upon the wallpaper. According to the narrator, the wallpaper possesses “perseverance as well as hatred.” The human traits turn the wallpaper into an antagonistic character and a symbol. It’s as if the wallpaper represents her oppression and marginalization. As the narrator’s husband doesn’t do anything about the wallpaper, it’s possible to contend that it’s a symbol of toxic gender norms or perhaps the suffocating effects of patriarchy.