For the males in the community, women are considered as only being useful for completing housework, with any form of real work or real thought considered bad for their health. It is also seen that the males in the community do not allow women to make any decisions, including decisions about themselves. This is seen by the way the narrator describes how she believes she is not ill and how she believes work would do her good, but is not allowed to voice these opinions. The isolation that the narrator feels then, is based on her not being able to contribute to society or function intelligently. She is considers as having nothing to offer and this leaves her mind isolated. The same situation is observed in "A Doll's House" with Nora. Just like the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper," Nora is confined to her role as wife and not considered as having any value beyond this. She is not allowed any responsibility in the marriage and remains powerless. The only significant difference with Nora is that she reacts to the situation differently. Instead of become depressed, she takes on the role of the child in the relationship with her husband. She recognizes that he is the authority, just as a child recognizes adults as authority figures, but she also defies her husband. This is seen by the way that she borrows money, while being aware that her husband will disapprove. Even in doing this, Nora is thinking like a child and disobeying for her own amusement. This includes that she has the expectation that Torvald will forgive her just as a father forgives a daughter. While Nora taking on the child role is different from how the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" reacts, both characters are in the same situation where they are isolated from the community because their role in women makes them inferior and powerless.

             The next consideration is how the two characters respond to their roles.