Insanity is one of the topics widely discussed by many writers. The definition of insanity is “not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged” (Dictionary.com). In “The Yellow wall Paper” by Charlotte Gilman, “Young Goodman Brown” By Nathaniel Hawthorne, and “A Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Poe insanity is the most prevalent theme. Each story takes place in a prison like environment and each protagonist is suffering from a form of insanity.

The story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman takes place in the late 19th century , which anchors it in a very specific historical moment in terms of women and their perceived abilities. The narrator and her husband John are renting a beautiful, isolated estate for the summer. The narrator says the house is
“The most beautiful place! It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village. It makes me think of the English places that you read about. For there are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people” (Gilman pg.552).
It’s a fancy house but more saliently, it stands back away from the road and contains many "locks" and "separate little houses." Overall, this is a very isolating place. It’s separate from the road and therefore could be considered separated from society; the house itself is described as a place that binds and restricts. Within the house the narrator is primarily confined to a “big, airy room….with windows that look all ways” (Gilman, 552). This room is a converted nursery with the grimy yellow wallpaper still on the wall. In keeping with the theme of isolation and restrictions the windows that look out everywhere are barred preventing any sort of escape, and the bed is nailed down to the floor. The narrator is able to see but not participate in what happens outside her room, which also use to be