Prompt Cast
Strange Occurrences and Escaping the Wallpaper: A Summary of "The Yellow Wallpaper"
TLDR Marissa experiences strange occurrences while working as a housekeeper, including finding melted scissors and receiving a disturbing phone call. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator feels trapped and isolated in her room, becoming fixated on the wallpaper and eventually escaping from behind it.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
A woman named Marissa arrives for a housekeeping job and is told to wait for the man's wife in a sitting room at the top of the stairs.
05:33
Marissa arrives for a housekeeping job and meets a young boy named Bobby who shows her a pillow from a burial casket.
10:20
Bobby shows Marissa a pile of old coins that Mr. Sorrow says are his to keep, and Marissa feels uneasy when Bobby mentions Mr. Sorrow and experiences strange shadows and a feeling of being watched in the uttermost end of the hotel.
15:18
Marissa experiences strange occurrences, including finding a pair of melted scissors and a bite-marked newspaper, and later receives a disturbing phone call where she hears a whistling sound and feels something warm and wet in her hand.
20:33
The hosts discuss "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a classic old story that is considered early feminist literature and is a statement on the treatment of women at the time.
25:45
The narrator is unhappy with her room, which has terrible wallpaper, and feels trapped and controlled by her husband John.
30:35
The narrator is tired after having guests over for the 4th of July and her husband John is considering sending her to Weir Mitchell in the fall if she doesn't improve.
35:18
The narrator is feeling increasingly frustrated and isolated, spending a lot of time alone in her room and becoming fixated on the wallpaper, which she describes in great detail.
40:29
The narrator is feeling frustrated and isolated, and tries to talk to John about leaving, but he insists that she is getting better and they will take a trip in three weeks.
45:13
The narrator continues to observe strange behavior from John and Jenny, and becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the wallpaper before leaving.
50:25
The narrator continues to peel off the wallpaper and becomes increasingly angry and desperate, contemplating jumping out the window but ultimately deciding against it.
55:11
The narrator successfully escapes from behind the wallpaper, causing her husband to faint in shock.
Categories:
Society & Culture
