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!<