The Yellow Wallpaper: Oppression of Women In Society Reflecting their role in society, women in literature are often portrayed in a position that is dominated by men. Especially in the nineteenth century, women were repressed and controlled by their husbands as well as other male influences. In "The Yellow Wall-Paper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the protagonist is oppressed and represents the effect of the oppression of women in society: the dominant submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanit