Final answer:
The excerpt from 'The Yellow Wallpaper' showcases women's lack of independence and equality in Gilman's era, symbolizing the systemic oppression of women by societal norms that confined them to domestic roles and stigmatized those who deviated from these expectations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The excerpt from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper' reflects the social attitudes of Gilman's era, particularly surrounding the issue of women's independence and the systemic oppression they faced. The story showcases a woman's struggle with postpartum depression and the harmful 'rest-cure' prescribed by male doctors, which restricted her intellectual and creative expression.
This symbolizes the broader constraint imposed by society at the time, which saw women who were not married or did not fit the domestic role as dangerous or abnormal. Through Gilman's chilling narrative, readers are shown a reality where married men dominated and controlled women, leading to a lack of equality and independence, an issue Gilman actively fought against through her writing and advocacy.