As a reader, it can be assumed that she has begun a state of postpartum depression as the short story begins. “Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that can affect women after childbirth. Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others.” (Postpartum Depression Facts). The symptoms of postpartum depression are seen in the narrator’s journal, such as; worrying or feeling overly anxious, mood swings, and withdrawing from family and friends. Becoming nervous around the baby, seeing women “creep”, not letting her husband in the room so she could finish freeing the woman she believed was stuck in the wallpaper, could be seen as the result of the narrator’s postpartum depression (Gilman 655-666). After knowing what the narrator is going through throughout this time, it is easy for readers to believe that her mental illness damages her