What are the literary devices found in the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman?

Answer 1

It's true that Gilman uses first person point of view, but the real powerful device is the unreliable narrator. The woman in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is clearly suffering from postpartum depression, and the effect is, in my opinion, one of the creepiest stories in modern history. This is how women were treated when they became "hysterical" after giving birth: They were locked in a room and were not allowed to see their child until the depression went away somehow.

Gilman also uses a suspended ending. The woman doesn't get better but rather the reader has a better understanding of her madness. Since she's mad at the beginning and mad at the end without resolution, the ending can be called suspended

Answer 2

First person point of view shows us her growing insanity "from the inside". Delusion (the woman in the wallpaper) shows estrangement from real life. Characterization of others (husband especially) shows isolation of protagonist.