In fact, Gilman is indirectly referring to herself when the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" talks about her friend who was seen by Weir Mitchell and who was treated using rest. heal. Gilman strongly disapproved of the rest treatment and wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" in response to her negative emotions towards it and to further support her position as a revered feminist of her time. Gilman condemned the manipulation of women by men, which also motivated her to write this short story in a critique of Weir Mitchell's treatment of rest and the mindset he instilled in 19th century society century (Cott). Harsh criticism of rest treatment by Gilman and other feminist contemporaries eventually caused Weir Mitchell to abandon the practice of rest treatment due to its oppressive nature toward women in the name of health. Ultimately, Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" as a criticism and attack on Silas Weir Mitchell's rest treatment, as evidenced by the narrator's negative experience during treatment. The rest cure treatment only caused the narrator to become even more depressed and nervous, and caused her to go crazy, like other rest cure patients. The manipulative treatment of men in relation to women in the 1800s is also shown throughout the plot, reinforcing Gilman's feminist critique of the rest cure.