Line: “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him” (Gilman 3). 

When the narrator admits that she thinks her husband “does not know how much [she] really suffer[s],” Gilman is once again reminding the audience of the explicit gender dynamics going on in the medical field in the late 19th century. As a female patient, the narrator does not tell John the truth of her condition because she knows that it will disappoint him. She does not want to seem like a burden to John. As her husband, John spends a lot of time providing for her and even believes that because of this she has “no reason to suffer.” This idea is still very much present in the modern context in regards to parents of children struggling with their mental health. Although some parents believe that they have given their child a life free of worry, children can still suffer. When children try to get help, like asking to see a therapist, parents can become angry and the child feels like a burden. This is not that much different from what the narrator is experiencing with her husband. She fits into the feminized, infantilized patient role in this dynamic. John feels satisfied with what he has provided for his wife, and because of this he finds it difficult to believe that she is truly suffering. He lacks empathy for his wife and is unable to put himself in her shoes to understand what her situation must be like. John embodies a masculine, parental, provider who has performed his duty as a man by giving her a safe place to live, and he thinks that should suffice. The narrator is getting worse as the story progresses and John is in denial. John is satisfied and therefore will not change his treatment plan. 

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