Gothic tales are known for being mysterious and dark. Certain elements are integrated throughout the story to create the desired effect, and simultaneously suggest other ideas. Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island and Charlotte Perkins Stetson's "The Yellow Wall-Paper" are very similar, in that both settings emphasize the idea of ​​madness. The relationship between setting and madness is induced by physical isolation, disturbing elements and hallucinatory incidents. To begin with, in an attempt to initiate mystery in Gothic stories, the location is often described as being physically isolated, triggering madness in the characters. This idea can be demonstrated by the isolation of Shutter Island's Institution for the Criminally Insane, as it is isolated on an island, trapping patients indefinitely. For example, when Teddy and Chuck were lost in the cemetery during the hurricane, the principal found them and Chuck said, "It's an island, boss." They will always find us” (154) as Teddy was lost in astonishment. This passage shows that wherever patients go, they will always be found, which also demonstrates how lack of freedom and privacy can gradually drive someone crazy. On the other hand, in “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the protagonist's room is located in “a colonial residence […] completely isolated, well back from the road, five kilometers from the village” (249-250). Additionally, “the place has been empty for years” (250) and this frightens Charlotte because she says it “spoils [its] ghostly character” (250). Additionally, the isolation of the residence manifests emotional isolation in the narrator as she mentions that keeping a journal “is such a relief” (255) for the reason that she “has to say what she feels…. ... middle of paper ...delusions throughout the novel present an obvious relationship between hallucination and madness as the mind is controlled, preventing the characters from having good self-esteem.In conclusion, Gothic literature , identified as the literary genre that revolves around romance and horror, nevertheless illustrates madness in several stories such as Shutter Island and "The Yellow Wall-Paper". As both authors use the physical isolation of the location, disturbing elements and hallucinatory incidences in the stories, the reader gradually grasps the effect these components have on madness. Therefore, all three elements combined confirm the influence of setting on madness. Works Cited Lehane, Dennis. Shutter Island. New York: Harper, 2003. Print. Perkins Stetson, Charlotte. “The yellow wallpaper”. New England Magazine January 1982: 249-263. Print.