The Yellow Wallpaper characters

Narrator

She is a middle-aged woman who is in marriage and has children. However, she is not happy with her life because of the lack of feeling any spiritual bond with her family. The story is told in the form of a diary which this lady writes for herself in secret She struggles with her upgrowing...

John

He is the narrator’s husband who helps her overcome depression but not in the best way. He decides to keep her in one room closed and alone. Here she starts to have these imaginative attacks. Although John seems to love her wife and care for her, he doesn’t put any extra efforts to...

Jennie

Jennie is John’s sister who helps the married couple to cope with the house chores. She likes helping with cleaning, looking after children, doing the washing-up. This contentment with the role of a typical woman irritates the narrator because she wants more from this life than being an...

Woman in the wallpaper

It becomes evident from the title of the book that the wallpaper will be a central symbol in the plot. The narrator spends much time describing the color and patterns of it. When she notices the woman trapped in the wallpaper she identifies herself being closed in the room. The relationship...

Mary

Mary is another female character in the story. Her duty is to take care of a newborn child who is the narrator’s and John’s kid. She is responsible and kind. Because of the narrator’s disability to look after the infant, this lady takes all the responsibility. She doesn’t...