The Yellow Wallpaper

When we secured the summer house I found us to be very fortunate. Considering poor Jane’s current condition I found us to be very fortunate indeed. I did not want to put her through the undue stress about such a pointless matter and so I did not discuss it with her, but at such a reasonable price how could I possibly refuse. Jane, however, believes there to be “something queer about it” and put its abandonment down to matters totally of the supernatural. I laugh at her and report that the one sole reason it has been empty was down to the long drawn out legal procedure of its inheritance or sale or some other such business. I am sure that she has her heart set upon making herself ill, because thinking such things about the supernatural, in this day and age, is unhealthy and with it unacceptable.

Her condition worries me. I do not believe she is physically ill but I am more and more of the opinion that it is all in the brain and mind. Her brother, also a well known physician believes the same. And so I make her take tonics and phosphates (never phosphites), and long walks in the open air and I have forbidden any work until she is healthy again. She disagrees but what else can be done? The house is a beautiful place and I am firmly of the belief that Jane sees it too. The house itself is quite alone standing well back from the road about three miles from the village. There are hedgerows and wrought iron gates that lock (these are useful and put my mind to rest when I work in the evenings). If we are surrounded by beautiful scenery then I hope that Jane will recover much quicker.

Jane wanted a room downstairs that opened onto the piazza, but I told her that there was only one window and not room for two beds and there was no other room near enough for me to take another one. Secretly, however, I just did not trust her downstairs on her own, for the reason that there was no other room nearby was true. Besides I would like to keep watch over her in the evenings to monitor her progress throughout the night.

I have told her that we have come here solely on her account and that she was to try and have as much rest and air as she could possibly obtain. I said “Your exercise depends on your strength, my dear, and your food somewhat on your appetite; but air you can absorb all the time.” Eventually we took residence in the big, airy nursery at the top of the house. The wallpaper was an unclean yellow but Jane appeared to be absolutely repulsed by it, I on the other hand though nothing of this at first.

I catch her every now and again looking guiltily at me as I enter the door and I find my eyes drifting to the diary perched on the bedside cabinet but