The Yellow Wallpaper

In what ways does Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, “The Yellow Wallpaper” show effective use of short story conventions and structure?

A short story has characteristics that make it differ greatly from other literary genres. Short stories are not only short in length, but they also cover only one plot, without any sub-plots. They usually take place in only one setting, a very limited and narrow period of time, and it rarely has more than two or three main characters. In "The Yellow Wallpaper", the narrator is a woman who autobiographically writes about her life as she degenerates into insanity over the course of one summer. 

The structure of "The Yellow Wallpaper" covers all of the characteristics of a modern short story. It deals with only one plot:  the woman's insanity and anxiety. Because the narrator is also the main character, it is almost impossible for the story to deviate into another event that isn't related to the protagonist. It takes place in a limited period of time, in this case over the period of one summer. The plot itself is very straightforward, and carries Gothic undertones. The setting is the old house the woman's husband rented, and the story mainly takes place in the room with the yellow wallpaper, which represents the woman's own psychological demise. 

The only characters mentioned, apart from the protagonist, is her husband and his sister. These are the only characters that appear in the short story, and they are not present at all times. The lack of other characters is characteristic of short stories, since the limited length does not permit the author to deviate from the plot by introducing new characters. "The Yellow Wallpaper" follows all conventions that characterize modern short stories, and it is a great example of short stories in Gothic literature.