The Yellow Wallpaper
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
A short, gripping story of a woman confined for her own good. One of the most studied short stories in English literature.
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It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer. A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house, and reach the height of romantic felicity, but that would be asking too much of fate!Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow WallpaperRead 8 hand-picked quotes from The Yellow Wallpaper, with meaning →3 The Yellow Wallpaper memes, decoded →
The Yellow Wallpaper: study guide
Everything you need to follow The Yellow Wallpaper: what happens, who it happens to, what it means, and the words worth learning along the way. The links at the top of the page jump straight to any part of it.
The Yellow Wallpaper summary
The story follows a woman who is confined to a room by her husband for rest therapy. As she spends more time in the room, she becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper and starts to lose her grip on reality.
Setting: The story is set in a colonial mansion in the late 19th century, primarily in an upstairs nursery with yellow wallpaper.
Show the full summary↓
Contains spoilers, including the ending.
The story is about a woman who is taken to a colonial mansion by her husband, John, for a summer retreat. John, a physician, prescribes her rest therapy for her 'nervous depression' and confines her to an upstairs nursery with yellow wallpaper.
As the woman spends more time in the room, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the wallpaper's pattern, which she finds repulsive and confusing. She secretly writes in her journal to cope with her isolation and lack of stimulation.
Her mental state deteriorates as she becomes convinced that there is a woman trapped behind the wallpaper, trying to escape. She starts to see the woman creeping around the garden during the day.
The woman becomes determined to free the figure she believes is trapped behind the wallpaper. She begins peeling the wallpaper off in a frenzy, convinced that she is liberating the woman.
In the climax, she locks herself in the room and tears down the wallpaper. When John finally enters, he faints at the sight of her crawling around the room, having completely lost touch with reality.
The story ends with the woman declaring that she has finally freed herself, crawling over her unconscious husband as she continues to circle the room.
The Yellow Wallpaper characters
The main characters of The Yellow Wallpaper, who they are and what they do in the story.
Narrator
protagonistThe unnamed narrator is a woman suffering from what is described as 'nervous depression.' She is creative and imaginative but becomes increasingly obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room.
John
antagonistJohn is the narrator's husband and a physician. He believes in the rest cure for his wife's condition and dismisses her opinions and feelings, contributing to her mental decline.
Jennie
supportingJennie is John's sister and acts as a housekeeper. She is practical and caring but unknowingly contributes to the narrator's isolation by following John's instructions.
Woman in the Wallpaper
supportingThe woman in the wallpaper is a figment of the narrator's imagination, representing her feelings of entrapment and desire for freedom.
Mary
supportingMary takes care of the narrator's baby. She is mentioned briefly and represents the traditional role of women during the period.
Narrator's Brother
supportingHe is a physician like John and supports the rest cure treatment, reinforcing the medical authority that dismisses the narrator's perspective.
Themes in The Yellow Wallpaper
The major themes of The Yellow Wallpaper and what each one means in the story.
Mental Health and Misdiagnosis
The story highlights the misunderstanding and mistreatment of mental health issues, particularly in women, during the 19th century. The narrator's condition worsens due to the prescribed 'rest cure,' which ignores her need for intellectual stimulation.
Gender Roles and Patriarchy
The narrative explores the oppressive gender roles of the time, where women were expected to be passive and obedient. The narrator's lack of agency and her husband's control over her life illustrate the patriarchal society.
Isolation and Confinement
Physical and emotional isolation play a critical role in the narrator's mental deterioration. Her confinement to the nursery with the yellow wallpaper symbolizes her lack of freedom and autonomy.
The Power of Imagination
The story demonstrates how the narrator's imagination becomes both a refuge and a source of torment. Her creative mind, stifled by her circumstances, fixates on the wallpaper, leading to her psychological unraveling.
Symbolism of the Wallpaper
The yellow wallpaper itself is a powerful symbol of the narrator's entrapment and mental state. Its chaotic patterns represent her confusion and desperation, while the imagined woman behind it symbolizes her desire to break free.
The Yellow Wallpaper vocabulary
24 useful words from The Yellow Wallpaper, from easier to harder. Each has a simple meaning and an example sentence, so you learn words you can actually use, not just recognise. While you read here, tapping any word does the same thing.
- secureverb
to obtain or achieve something, especially after effort
“She managed to secure a good job after graduation.”
- declareverb
to announce something clearly, firmly, publicly, or officially
“He declared his intention to run for mayor.”
- laughverb
to make sounds with your voice, usually while smiling, because you think something is funny
“The joke made everyone laugh.”
- believeverb
to accept something as true; to have faith in something
“I believe in the power of education.”
- exercisenoun
physical activity that you do to make your body strong and healthy
“Regular exercise is important for good health.”
- agreeverb
to have the same opinion or to accept a suggestion
“We agreed to meet at the cafe.”
- conditionnoun
the state of something, especially with regard to its appearance, quality, or working order
“The car is in excellent condition.”
- gardennoun
an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown
“We planted tomatoes in the garden.”
- strangeadjective
unusual or surprising in a way that is unsettling or hard to understand
“I heard a strange noise last night.”
- windownoun
an opening in a wall or door that usually contains a sheet of glass
“I opened the window to let in some fresh air.”
- carefuladjective
making sure of avoiding potential danger, mishap, or harm; cautious
“Be careful when you cross the street.”
- tiredadjective
in need of rest or sleep
“After the long hike, I was very tired.”
- schedulenoun
a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done
“I have a busy schedule today.”
- patternnoun
a repeated decorative design
“The wallpaper has a floral pattern.”
- reliefnoun
a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress
“I felt a sense of relief after finishing the exam.”
- nurserynoun
A room in a house prepared for young children to sleep and play in.
“They put her in the old nursery at the top of the house.”
- wallpapernoun
Paper with a pattern, glued to the walls of a room to decorate it.
“The yellow wallpaper was torn off in places.”
- creepverb
To move slowly and quietly, close to the ground, so nobody notices you.
“She began to creep along the wall of the room.”
- smellnoun
What you notice with your nose; here it is the strange odour of the paper.
“The smell of the wallpaper followed her through the house.”
- moonlightnoun
The light of the moon at night, much weaker and colder than sunlight.
“In the moonlight the pattern seemed to move.”
- barsnoun
Long straight pieces of metal across a window; they keep people in or out.
“The windows of the room had bars on them.”
- restnoun
A period of doing nothing so that you get better or stop being tired.
“The doctor ordered complete rest and no writing at all.”
- fancynoun
Something you imagine rather than something real.
“He said it was only a fancy and told her not to think about it.”
- secretadjective
Kept hidden from other people on purpose.
“She kept the writing secret from her husband.”
How readClassicly reads The Yellow Wallpaper
The Yellow Wallpaper is book 4 of 12 in our free year-long classics reading plan. At our daily pace of 8 pages, the book takes around 1 week to finish.
You log pages as you go in a private dashboard. When you finish, a short quiz unlocks the next book in the sequence. No deadlines, no summaries pretending to be reading.
Don't want to follow the order? You don't have to. Members can start with any of the twelve books, and the plan just nudges you back to the recommended path if you fall behind.
Why we picked it
A very short, very famous story about a woman, a quiet house, and what she begins to see in the walls. Forty pages. Read in one sitting.
Suitable for 16+. Level B2, which means readers comfortable with upper-intermediate English will follow it without a dictionary; lower-intermediate readers can read with light support.
The Yellow Wallpaper: reading level & FAQ
What reading level is The Yellow Wallpaper?↓
The Yellow Wallpaper is rated B2 on the CEFR scale and is suitable for ages 16+. It is a good fit for readers building toward or reading comfortably at that level.
Can I read The Yellow Wallpaper online for free?↓
Yes. The Yellow Wallpaper is in the public domain and free to read online at readClassicly, with a reading tracker and a short quiz. No account is needed to read it.
What is The Yellow Wallpaper about?↓
The story follows a woman who is confined to a room by her husband for rest therapy. As she spends more time in the room, she becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper and starts to lose her grip on reality.
How does The Yellow Wallpaper end?↓
The story ends with the woman declaring that she has finally freed herself, crawling over her unconscious husband as she continues to circle the room.
Wondering how long it takes? The Yellow Wallpaper is 6,147 words, about 1 hours, broken down by reading speed and by how many minutes a day you give it.
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