Gothic tales are known for being mysterious and dark. Some elements are integrated throughout the narrative to create the desired effect and simultaneously suggest other ideas. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane and “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson are significantly similar, among other things both settings highlight the idea of ​​madness. The relationship between setting and madness is induced by the demonstration of physical isolation, disturbing elements and hallucinatory incidents. For starters, with the intent to initiate mystery in Gothic stories, the location is often depicted as physically isolated, triggering madness in the characters. This idea can be demonstrated by the isolation of the institution for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, as it sits alone on an island, trapping patients indefinitely. For example, when Teddy and Chuck got lost in the cemetery during the hurricane, the Director found them and Chuck said “it's an island, boss. They will always find us” (154) while Teddy was lost in amazement. This passage shows that wherever patients go they will always be found, which also shows how the lack of freedom and privacy can gradually drive one mad. On the other hand, in “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” the protagonist's room is in “a colonial villa […] completely isolated, well away from the road, about three miles from the village” (249-250). Furthermore, “the place has been empty for years” (250) and this scares Charlotte as she says it “ruins [its] spookiness” (250). Furthermore, the isolation of the residence manifests an emotional isolation on the narrator as she states that keeping a diary “is such a relief” (255) for the reason that “she has to say what [she] feel[s] a… . middle of paper ......of delusions throughout the novel presents a clear relationship between hallucination and madness as the mind is controlled, preventing the characters from having a good sense of self. 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”. Since both authors use the physical isolation of the place, disturbing elements and hallucinatory incidences in the narratives, the reader gradually captures the effect the components have on the madness. Therefore, all three elements combined confirm the influence of the setting on the 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. Press.