| A woman, who is not specifically identified, and her husband John, temporarily move into a colonial mansion that has been "untenanted" for a long period of time. The duration of their stay is three months. The purpose of the move is so that this woman may be able to "rest" and recover from her "nervous depression" and "slight hysterical tendencies." John, and the woman's brother, are both physicians. During her stay in this mansion, she comes in contact with very few people. She is denied the ability to see or socialize with friends and she is seperated from her baby who is cared for by another woman, "Mary." Besides one visit from her mother, Nellie, and the two children, his woman's only other contact is "Jennie." Apparently, Jennie is the housekeeper, as she "sees to everything" and this woman "does not have to do a thing."
This woman, who is a writer, is forbidden to write, however, she does so when no one is around to notice. Despite the beautiful grounds surrounding the estate, she is repeatedly encouraged to stay indoors during the daytime and get as much sleep as possible and to not "give into fancies." The bedroom that is "chosen for her" is decrepid and dark. It has scratches on the floor, bars over the windows, dents and holes in the plastered walls, and the bed is nailed to the floor. On some sections of the walls, there are patches of yellow printed wallpaper that this woman dispises. Despite her several requests to change rooms or to leave the house entirely, her husband adamently refuses. He claims throughout the story that her health is improving when in fact her behavior has become more bizarre and twisted. She begins to see patterns in the wall-paper. The patterns become faces with buldging eyes. The faces become figures and the figures become one woman. Gradually, the woman in the room begins to look forward to (and at the same time despise) seeing this woman "creep" about. Without her husband or Jennie being aware, she is determined to figure out the secrets of the yellow wallpaper. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 1600-1899 Internal struggle/realization? Yes Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Brain/Body disability? - mental illness Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Unusual characteristics: Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 10 () United States Yes Ice Caps/Sea? Yes Where? - Ocean City: - wealthy Misc setting Writing Style Amount of dialog - little dialog |
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