The Yellow Wallpaper
rt for me to think straight. Jus
st carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, a
t and all he had, and that I must take c
it, that I must use my will and self-control
nd happy, and does not have to occupy t
fortunate escape! Why, I wouldn't have a child of mine, an
ky that John kept me here after all, I can
them any more—I am too wise,—but
t paper that nobody kno
attern the dim shapes
same shape, onl
behind that pattern. I don't like it a bit. I wonder—I
about my case, because he is so
ied it l
oon shines in all aroun
creeps so slowly, and always co
I kept still and watched the moonlight on t
ed to shake the pattern, jus
and see if the paper DID move, an
said. "Don't go walking abou
told him that I really was not gaining her
se will be up in three weeks, an
anger, I could and would, but you really are better, dear, whether you can see it or not. I am a doctor, dea
my appetite may be better in the evening when you are
be as sick as she pleases! But now let's improve the shinin
go away?" I a
n we will take a nice little trip of a few days while Jenn
for he sat up straight and looked at me with such a st
ill never for one instant let that idea enter your mind! There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a te
ught I was asleep first, but I wasn't, and lay there for hours trying to decide whe
is a lack of sequence, a defiance of law, t
reliable enough, and infuriating en
llowing, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in
u can imagine a toadstool in joints, an interminable string of toadstools,
s, som
r, a thing nobody seems to notice but myself, a
lways watch for that first long, straight ray—it c
y I watch
ll night when there is a moon—I w
ight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars! The outsi
ing was that showed behind, that dim sub-pat
is the pattern that keeps her so still. It i
. John says it is good for
t by making me lie down fo
t I am convinced, for
eceit, for I don't te
getting a littl
times, and even Jennie h
st as a scientific hypothesis,
m suddenly on the most innocent excuses, and I've caught him several times LO
the most restrained manner possible, what she was doing with the paper—she turned around as i
hed, that she had found yellow smooches on all my cloth
was studying that pattern, and I am determin
see I have something more to expect, to look forward to, to
hed a little the other day, and said I seemed
telling him it was BECAUSE of the wall-paper—he woul
ave found it out. There is a week m
ch at night, for it is so interesting to watch de
it is tiresome
ew shades of yellow all over it. I cannot keep c
e think of all the yellow things I ever saw—not beautif
came into the room, but with so much air and sun it was not bad. Now we have had
all over
skulking in the parlor, hiding in the h
into m
turn my head suddenly and sur
spent hours in trying to analyze
y gentle, but quite the subtles
wful, I wake up in the night
. I thought seriously of burni
ng I can think of that it is like is
k that runs round the room. It goes behind every piece of furniture, except t
what they did it for. Round and round and rou
discovered som
t night, when it changes s
move—and no wonder! The
behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls
ill, and in the very shady spots she just
ut nobody could climb through that pattern—it stra
n strangles them off and turns them u
ered or taken off it wo
oman gets out
ou why—privatel
ut of every one
r she is always creeping, and mo
es, creeping along, and when a carriage c
ust be very humiliating to be
aylight. I can't do it at night, for I k
him. I wish he would take another room! Besides, I don't
ould see her out of a
can, I can only see o
er, she MAY be able to cr
f in the open country, creeping as f
gotten off from the under one! I
, but I shan't tell it this time! It
per off, and I believe John is beginning to
f professional questions about me.
pt a good deal
ep very well at night,
estions, too, and pretended
ldn't see t
acts so, sleeping under t
feel sure John and Jennie
enough. John is to stay in town over nig
thing! but I told her I should undoub
on as it was moonlight and that poor thing began to cra
she pulled, and before morning we
gh as my head and h
awful pattern began to laugh at me,
moving all my furniture down again
, but I told her merrily that I did it
uldn't mind doing it hersel
rayed herse
person touches this
quiet and empty and clean now that I believed I would lie down again and sle
ngs are gone, and there is nothing left but that great bed
rs to-night, and take t
he room, now it
ldren did tea
ead is fai
ust get
and thrown the key do
I don't want to have anybo
to asto
did not find. If that woman does get ou
not reach far without
d will
e, and then I got so angry I bit off a litt
sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled head
te. To jump out of the window would be admirable
I know well enough that a step like tha
ws even—there are so many of those cr
l come out of that
by my well-hidden rope—you don'
back behind the pattern when i
ut in this great room and
tside. I won't, even
on the ground, and everythin
and my shoulder just fits in that long smo
n at the door!<