Overview
The narrator, suffering from a nervous condition, recounts her prescribed rest cure in a rented ancestral house. As her isolation intensifies, she becomes obsessed with the room's yellow wallpaper, descending into psychological distress.
Arrival at the House and Medical Treatment
- The narrator and her husband, John, rent an isolated mansion for the summer, which she finds unsettling.
- John, a physician, dismisses her illness as temporary nervous depression and prescribes rest, prohibiting work or writing.
- Both John and her physician brother oppose her views on treatment, restricting her stimulation and social contact.
Life in the House and Description of the Room
- The narrator is confined to a nursery at the top of the house, which she dislikes, especially its yellow wallpaper.
- She describes the wallpaper’s disturbing, chaotic pattern and repellent color as a persistent irritant.
- Her attempts to discuss her discomfort or suggest changing rooms are dismissed by John, who insists on the rest cure.
Increasing Isolation and Emotional Decline
- The narrator feels increasingly isolated and burdened, unable to help with household or childcare duties.
- She secretly writes to cope, but fears discovery and opposition from John and his sister Jenny.
- Efforts to communicate her distress to John result in further dismissal and encouragement to exert more self-control.
Obsession with the Wallpaper
- The narrator becomes fixated on the wallpaper, observing hidden shapes and sensing something sinister behind it.
- She perceives a woman trapped behind the wallpaper’s pattern, intensifying her sense of connection and anxiety.
- Her fascination grows as she spends hours watching the wallpaper, especially by moonlight.
Deterioration and Final Breakdown
- The wallpaper's smell and markings begin to invade her senses and daily life.
- She believes multiple women are trapped within and sees a woman (or women) creeping outside by day.
- In the last days, she locks herself in, peels away the wallpaper, and fully identifies with the trapped woman.
- John discovers her creeping around the room; she declares her escape and his fainting blocks her path, which she creeps over repeatedly.
Decisions
- Do not change rooms or wallpaper: John insists on maintaining the current arrangement for the narrator’s rest cure.
- Remain in the house for three months: John refuses to leave before the lease ends and repairs at home are finished.
Action Items
- TBD – Jenny: Continue household management and care for the narrator.
- In 3 weeks – John: Plan to leave the rented house and take a trip while the home is prepared.
Questions / Follow-Ups
- Should alternative treatments or more social stimulation be considered for the narrator’s recovery?
- Is the rest cure exacerbating the narrator’s mental health rather than improving it?
- What will become of the narrator after leaving the house?