“There are things in that paper that no one knows but me, or will ever know. Behind that external scheme the indistinct shapes become clearer every day. It's still the same shape, just very numerous. And it's like a woman who bends and crawls behind that pattern. I don't like it at all. I wonder… I'm starting to think: I wish John would take me away from here!” The late 19th century saw hardships for women in our society. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman expressed a form of patriarchy within the story. Gilman never addressed the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by name, demonstrating her lack of individual identity. The author created the narrator to play an insignificant role in civilization and live according to the direction of man. Representing a hierarchy between men and women in the 19th century, the wallpaper submerged the woman's concentration and began to push her into a deeper madness. Gilman expressed the role of women through a concept of patriarchy. The narrator's job was to take care of her husband and meet his expectations and requests. The concept of family belonging to man is an important aspect of the plot and its symbolism. "John laughs at me, of course, but in marriage it's expected that way." The woman shares her arrogance about how her husband views her. He treats her as if she had completely lost consciousness and considers her to belong to her. John shows no understanding or support towards his wife. Instead, John counters by telling her that "there was a draft and close the window." He ignored his belief about his condition and swore that there was actually nothing worth discussing. “The faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if it wanted to get out.” The woman had begun to see another woman on the wallpaper, imprisoned behind bars and waving the paper to be freed. Wallpaper began to devalue, as did the conquering influence that the male hierarchy imposed on women. Women have come to think out of line, to be aware of their overthrow and conflict with patriarchal status. The development of the yellow wallpaper and the narrator, within the story, indicates a triumph over John.