The “Webster Dictionary” defines “self-expression” as “the expression of one's personality or emotion”. Self-expression is how a person can express their thought processes through communication, writing, artwork, and so on. Furthermore, we must be able to express our emotions to others to ensure emotional well-being. There are times when a person's outward self-expression does not match his true feelings. Sometimes we pretend to say, we hear things that seem acceptable to others only for others to accept us, we hide our true self, we say things we don't mean, thinking that is what others want to hear and it can become frustrating because trying to hold back our true feelings can lead to serious emotional breakdowns, depression and even mental disorders. In "The Yellow Wallpaper", a story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the conflict focuses on the protagonist's helplessness to maintain her common sense in a society that does not identify her as an individual, and on how the lack of communication and freedom of expressing herself drove her to madness. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was written in the late 1800s, when women's role in society was limited and had no primary effect on society other than having children and being a housewife. It was difficult for women to express themselves in a world controlled by men. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the protagonist is a wife and new mother who suffers from postpartum depression, her interest is to be a good wife, a good mother and recover quickly from her illness. However, her husband John, who is a doctor, does not believe she is ill, but instead suffers from temporary nervous depression and wants her to rest and recover. She is forbidden to work... half of paper... g, communicate with her husband and feel good for her son. However, she had no voice and even though she didn't agree with her husband's opinion, she felt like she was no one to complain to and when she tries to discuss the pain she is going through, her husband doesn't listen to her, which forces her to keep it sincere. emotions and feelings inside. The lack of activity causes the protagonist to start feeling anxious and needs something to occupy her time. As she stays indoors, she has started to notice more about the yellow wallpaper in her room and how awful it is. The wallpaper soon begins to be his only concern. When she begins to feel imprisoned, she reflects her feelings on the wallpaper. Works Cited Kennedy, XJ and Dana Gioia. "The yellow background." Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 2011. Print.