Jean Toomer's "Karintha" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," are both two works that deal with women in the 20th century. "Karintha," written in 1920, is the first entry of Toomer's book "Cane" is about a woman who grows up too quickly for her own good and in result, is perceived as a bad person. "The Yellow Wallpaper," written in 1890, is about an allegedly mentally ill woman who has "temporary nervous depression," which prevents her from being able to access the outside world even if she wanted to (Gilman 209). Although they speak to different communities, "Karintha" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" can be seen as two works of feminist literature that allow the reader to understand both through the theme of being trapped. 

The reader encounters this theme in "Karintha" through her lifelong struggles at the hands of perverse men within the African American community in the early 20th century. Karintha, the main character, is perceived to be very beautiful, so beautiful that older men were lining up to wait for her to become of age. She is described "perfect as dusk when the sun goes down" (Toomer), which indicates that she is of mixed heritage, something considered as a very high beauty standard in many African American communities. This is interesting because Toomer is using this to emphasize to the reader just how beautiful Karintha is and that she is hypersexualized about it from childhood. Through the work, the reader can infer that Karintha witnessed sex at a very young age, making her very comfortable with it. Quotes such as "this interest of the male, who wishes to ripen a growing thing too soon, could mean no good to her," give the reader the impression that she is not valued by anything but her looks and is subsequently viewed as an object. Said quote also foreshadows that these men are possessive in their pursuits of her which would lead to her ruin. Behavioral problems such as interpersonal and animal abuse emerge as Karintha begins to grow older, but she does not get into any trouble for things because of her looks. Toomer shows this when she is caught abusing animals saying, "Even the preacher, who caught her at her mischief, told himself that she was as innocently lovely as a November cotton flower" ("Karintha"). Additionally, by this quote and the situation, the reader can come to an understanding that Karintha is frustrated by something, with these acts of violence perhaps being an outlet. 

 Karintha, however, was shown at a young age that she had to conform and stick to the rigid roles of women during that time period, namely reproduction, being an object of affection for men, and taking care of the home. Toomer emphasizes that Karintha is shaped by the environment she was brought up in. She plays "home" with a boy when she is still a kid, whether this be sexual or innocent (Toomer). It is engrained in her that she the home is where she belongs, that she is incapable of independence, and that she is defined by men. She was married many times and grew to hate and use men, highlighted when Toomer says, "She has been married many times. Old men remind her that a few years back they rode her hobby-horse upon their knees. Karintha smiled, and indulges them when she is in the mood for it. She has contempt for them" (Toomer).  Toomer shows this struggle through her giving birth to her baby in the woods instead of in a proper place and leaving it to die. The reader can interpret this infanticide by it being an act of defiance against the control of men in her life, as well as her unwillingness to be married for long. 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is noted for using a psychological disorder to critique the subordination of married women to men during the late 19th century. The narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" shows frequent frustration with her marital life. She seems to care about her husband but says "I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes. I'm sure I never used to be so sensitive. I think it is due to this nervous condition (Gilman 209). She stays in the nursery of the house with an almost haunted atmosphere and is fixated on the wallpaper within the room. Gilman does this to metaphorically depict the effects of patriarchal practices of the time through one's mental health. The narrator feels trapped within the house, but Gilman means to show that the wife feels trapped in her marriage and the life that she lives. John, her husband frequently silences her every time that she entertains the thought of leaving and constantly belittles her. He calls her "little girl" and says "Bless her little heart!," which lets one know that he does not see her as remotely intellectually equal, as many men didn't during the time period (Gilman215). The wallpaper is a symbol for this being that it looks like bars of a cage (Gilman 216). She becomes so fixated on freeing the woman trapped in the paper that she rips it off of the wall, lost in her insanity upon realizing that she is the trapped woman. When she says "I've got out at last ... in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!" she has realized this mental burden, and moves to overcome both her husband and seemingly herself, if the reader interprets "Jane" being the narrator's name (Gilman 221).

Both works share similar themes of being trapped by a patriarchal society. Both women are unable to express themselves because the patriarchy is holding them back. In both works the reader is dealing with mentally ill individuals. The wife in "The Yellow Wallpaper has nervous depression, and likely has another mental illness due to her hallucinations in the wallpaper as well as her having postpartum depression. Karintha is not diagnosed as mentally ill, but the detached way that she kills her child indicates that she is mentally scarred or traumatized by something. Like Karintha, the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is detached from her own child, her mental illness keeping her from being an affectionate mother. She says "There's one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper" (Gilman 214). Unlike Karintha, she cares about her child, but makes no move to bond with it due to her fixation with the wallpaper. In Karintha, the main character commits infanticide and is seemingly emotionless, however the references to the smoke in the sky following the incident can symbolize some deep internal guilt that she holds (Toomer). Regardless, killing her child was the lowest point of Karintha's tragic life, just as the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" reached her most insane level with the meltdown about the wallpaper. 

Together, "Karintha" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" give the reader an understanding of both the themes and communities where each woman would have resided. Interpreting them together gives comparison to the treatment of women in the patriarchy, the two of them being mentally restricted and societally confined to the point of insanity or wild measures. 

