Line: “Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good” (Gilman 1). 

In this line, the narrator is explicitly stating what she thinks would be the best treatment plan for herself. She is a writer who is no longer allowed to write. She is a mother who cannot tend to her child. She has no “excitement” or “change” and remains in a room alone for most of the day. This is her treatment. The reason for her lack of work and abundance of sedentary time is that male providers decided this to be the best course of action (or lack thereof), for curing hysteria. The narrator has her belief of what she thinks would be best for her recovery and it does not align with what has been prescribed. Although she “personally” believes these things would “do [her] good,” she will not tell John because she recognizes that it is not her place to do so as a feminine patient. By explicitly stating that this is her “personal” opinion, she is acknowledging that it is less important than the belief of John. It is merely her thoughts because she has no medical authority over her own condition. Her job is to receive treatment, not suggest it. If the narrator did suggest what she thought was a better treatment, that would cross the line between provider and patient. Although the narrator thinks the best way to get back on her feet is to literally get back on her feet, it is not her place to do so. The way that Gilman portrays this relationship speaks to the power dynamic that leads to the narrator’s mental health deterioration. 

Click here to return to the text.