The Yellow Wallpaper Freedom and Confinement Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Section.Paragraph)

Quote #1

He said that after the wall-paper was changed it would be the heavy bedstead, and then the barred windows, and then that gate at the head of the stairs, and so on. (1.14)

The heavy bedstead (or bed frame), barred windows, and gate at the head of the stairs all provide a physical confinement that mirrors the narrator’s societal confinement.

Quote #2

There are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people. (1.19)

The structure of the house itself highlights the narrator’s confinement.

Quote #3

John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. (2.3)

While the narrator must remain at home, essentially confined to her bedroom, John is free to go out and about.