s to let her thoughts run together in a mass of confusion. For example, at the beginning, Gilman is writing about a discussion with her husband, John, when suddenly she skips to a description of the old house: But John says if I feel so I shall neglect proper self-control; so I take pains to control myself-before him, at least, and that makes me very tired. I dont like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs (Gilman 470). This sense of confusion throughout the story relays to the reader that Gilman is indeed severely mentally confused and ill. According to several doctors in the medical journal Psychological Assessment, some of the characteristics of mentally ill patients during interpersonal and personal behavior include interruptions and ignoring personal boundaries (Kosson 91). These characteristics are seen in Gilmans conversations with herself.Throughout the story, Gilman spends the majority of her time napping and writing in one confined space: a room upstairs, which has been chosen for her by her husband. The reader discovers throughout the story that she is actually locked in this room by her husband and his sister, Jennie. She is encouraged by them to sleep and take things easy in order to heal herself. In this way, Gilmans husband and sister-in-law resemble the setting of an insane asylum. A typical description of an insane asylum comes from author Phillippe Pinel: In lunatic hospitals, as in despotic governments, it is no doubt possible to maintain, by unlimited confinement and barbarous treatment, the appearance of order and loyalty (Pinel 90). However, Gilman again seems to live the life of a person confined in an insane asylum. The room itself resembles such a place, as it has bars covering the windows and one bed bolted to the floor (Gilman 471). She is locked in this place alone with nothing to do but lie on the bed and create images in the yellow wallpaper that grotesquely decorates the walls. This solitaire en...
