Both "The Necklace" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" take place in the late 1800's, and both stories follow the lives of a married couple which allows readers to gain insight on the dynamic between husband and wife in the late 19th century. While the husband in "The Necklace" treats his wife significantly better than the husband in "The Yellow Wallpaper," the theme of a wife's reliance on the husband is significant in both stories. Neither woman in the story works outside the home, which leads to an extreme dependence on the husband. Both women are also unhappy with their lives and dream of a more expansive life experience. The wife in "The Necklace" longs for extravagant and elegant material items, while the woman in "The Yellow Wallpaper" wishes for the freedom to do what she pleases. Neither woman is able to achieve what she wishes because she is subject to the decisions and desires of her husband. By observing the interactions between the couples in each story, the reader clearly sees that women in the late 1800's were controlled and defined by, and entirely dependent upon their husbands. 

The domineering nature of the husband, John, is an especially prominent theme in "The Yellow Wallpaper," as he truly dictates every aspect of his wife's life. The wife in this story is also the narrator, and she remains unnamed, perhaps a deliberate illustration of her lack of independent identity. The husband's name is John and he is a physician. The narrator suffers from a nervous condition, so John serves, not only as her husband, but also as her physician. The narrator believes that she would feel better if she were able to be active and living her life, but John believes that the cure is to lay in bed, not stimulating her body or mind at all: "I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus- but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition" (Gilman). The narrator desires a life filled with people and activity, but her husband has brought her to a secluded house and controls her every move, not allowing her to work, exercise or write. John is well aware of his wife's wishes, but ignores her desires and speaks to her in a condescending tone: "what is it, little girl?"( Gilman). His use of the term "little girl" illustrates the wife's powerless stature in his mind.  The narrator writes of how she dislikes the room that John has chosen for them to stay in and that she prefers a downstairs room, but that "John would not hear of it" (Gilman).  So confined to the room and deprived of stimuli is she, that she becomes obsessed with the wallpaper in the room.  In fact, her seeming insanity may be a consequence of her husband's actions depriving her of social and physical interaction.  There is no compromise in this relationship; the wife is simply required to follow all demands of the husband. John is very dismissive of his wife's suggestions and controlling of her actions, illustrating that in the late 1800's, men completely dominated women in the marital relationship.

The woman in "The Necklace" is also controlled by her husband, but not as aggressively as the woman in "The Yellow Wallpaper." The type of control exhibited in "The Necklace" can better be described as dependence. The protagonist and wife, Mathilde Loisel, loathes her ordinary life and fantasizes about living a lavish life. Mathilde cannot, however, acquire the luxuries she craves because her role is simply to be a wife to her husband. Her husband works as a clerk and Mathilde feels that "[s]he was one of those pretty and charming girls who are sometimes, as if by a mistake of destiny, born into a family of clerks" (Maupassant). Mathilde feels trapped in her current lifestyle because her husband does not earn enough money to afford the extravagances she desires, and she herself is helpless because 19th century society did not deem women fit to work. When her husband offers her an invitation to an exclusive ball she weeps, as she is distraught about having nothing to wear. The husband asks how much it will cost for a gown suitable for the ball so "[s]he reflected several seconds, making her calculations and wondering also what sum she could ask for without drawing on herself an immediate refusal and a frightened exclamation from the economical clerk" (Maupassant). Mathilde must ask her husband for money, and his control of the finances in the relationship represent his control of the relationship in its entirety. There is not equal partnership shared between the couple, but, rather, a relationship with a clearly dominant and and a clearly submissive role. This relationship further asserts the fact that women played a subordinate role in marriages of the late 1800's.

Not only do these texts demonstrate that women were dominated by their husbands in the marriages of the late 1800's, but it is also made clear that women felt trapped in the marital  relationship. Both "The Necklace" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" demonstrate scenarios where the women want more from life, but are unable to achieve their goals because they feel encumbered by their husbands. The woman in "The Necklace" "suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born for all the delicacies and all the luxuries. She suffered from the poverty of her dwelling" (Maupassant). Mathilde believes she was born for a greater life and she was depressed merely by looking around her home and noticing all the glory that it lacked. According to Mathilde, "she let herself be married to a little clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction" (Maupassant). The wife in this situation attributes her unfortunate economic status to the fact that she did not marry a rich man. This proves that a woman's life was completely dependent upon the provenance and fortune of her husband. Mathilde is trapped in a lifestyle that she does not want to live, but she cannot escape it because, while she may have little when she is with her husband, she has nothing without him. 

The woman in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is also trapped by her husband. Rather than desiring material items like the woman in "The Necklace", the unnamed narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" simply wants to combat her mental illness by being active physically and mentally. However, she is oppressed by her husband, who controls her every action. The narrator refers to John as "very careful and loving," but she adds that he "hardly lets [her] stir without special direction" (Gilman). The narrator makes it explicitly clear to the reader that she is not to do anything without first acquiring her husband's permission. John does not like when the narrator expresses any form of creativity, so naturally he does not approve of her writing in the journal. The narrator seeks a life of action and companionship and she writes, "I wish he would let me go and make a visit to Cousin Henry and Julia. But he said I wasn't able to go" (Gilman). The theme of a wife feeling trapped in a marriage is conspicuous in both stories, illustrating how powerless women in relationships were during this time period.

By observing the lives of two wives in the late 19th century, readers can draw the conclusion that marriages at this time were controlled by the husband and that, due to gender roles in society, women were essentially powerless. In "The Necklace", the wife relies on the husband heavily due to economic reasons, which causes her to feel trapped in her relationship. In "The Yellow Wallpaper", the wife relies on the husband and his status as a physician for help to cure her illness, and despite his poor instructions, the wife feels trapped and forced to take his advice because that is simply what women were expected to do at this time. A woman in the late 1800's was defined by her husband and essentially incapable of living without him. The woman held no power in the relationship and had to ask permission before taking any actions. Looking at two separate relationships that shared striking similarities that occurred during the same time in history allows for a better understanding of marriage during the time period of the late 19th century.

