Line: “I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus—but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad” (Gilman 2). 

In this sentence the narrator begins to think about her condition and her place in society, then quickly interrupts herself. She does not finish her thought. Instead of admitting to herself that her gender and social position are most likely responsible for her treatment, she suppresses her urge. John has told her before that “the very worst thing [she] can do is to think about [her] condition.” By saying this, her husband/doctor is keeping her out of any and all medical decisions that may be made for her. He does not want her to think about her condition because that is his job. It is a man’s job to consider illness and a woman’s job to be sick with hysteria. There is an internalized notion in the narrator that has been placed upon her in society that if she does begin to think about medicine, she should “feel bad.” The narrator begins to recognize this when she starts her sentence, but does not have enough leverage in her place as a patient and wife to advocate for herself. This contributes to her overall mental health decline as she continues to have no say in her treatment. She is a submissive, feminine patient and wife who is not able to question the decisions of the masculine man that plays such a large role in her life. 

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