The Yellow Wallpaper“The Yellow Wallpaper” is the story of the journey of a woman who suffers from a nervous breakdown, descending into madness thanks to her “cure” treatment rest”. In principle, a woman does not have the right to read, write or see her newborn. Charlotte Perkins Gilman captures the essence of this journey into madness using first-person narration. The plot of the story involves taking the reader through the horrors of a woman's neurosis to make strong statements about the oppression women face in their marital roles. The narrator's mental state is characterized by her encounter with the wallpaper in her room. In addition to the plot of the story, the use of symbolism and irony throughout her story also shows how men were dominant during her time. From “Literature: The Human Experience” written by Abcarian and Klotz, “Irony is a figurative language in which the intended meaning differs from the literal meaning” (1615). There is more than one level of irony at work in this story. Dramatic irony occurs when a reader or audience knows things that a character does not and, therefore, sees things differently (Abcarian & Klotz 1615). Gilman uses dramatic irony when the narrator states, “I feel so much better” (Gilman 1005) as if the narrator believes she is normal, but when she states “I think that woman goes out during the day!” And I'll tell you why, in private, I saw it! (Gilman 1006), the reader knows that she is becoming sane again. This is a dramatic irony because the reader's understanding of the narrator's speeches is markedly different from that of the narrator. Through this dramatic irony, Gilman made the reader understand how complete isolation can only add to desolation and push people to the brink of madness. The “rest cure” order may symbolize her husband’s love for her, but ironically, it makes her condition worse. This plot symbolizes how women were oppressed and dominated by their husbands and had no room to express themselves. When the narrator says, “I can see her through my windows!” I see her in this long, shaded alley, crawling up and down. I see her in those dark arbors, crawling all around the garden” (Gilman 1006). The reader knows that there is no real woman stuck behind the wallpaper; in fact, it is a hallucination that appears to be caused by forced isolation as part of his treatment..