The Yellow Wallpaper
Important Quotations Explained
1. If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures
friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but
temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?
. . .
So I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is, and tonics, and
journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to “work” until
I am well again.
Personally, I disagree with their ideas . . .
2. I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition
and more society and stimulus—but John says the very worst thing I can do is
think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad. So I
will let it alone and talk about the house.
3. There are things in that paper which nobody knows but me, or ever
will.
Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day.
It is always the same shape, only very numerous.
And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping about behind that
pattern. I don’t like it a bit. I wonder—I begin to think—I wish John would
take me away from here!
5. I don’t like to look out of the windows
even—there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast. I
wonder if they all come out of that wall-paper as I did?






