Introduction：The narrator is a woman whose husband—a physician—has confined her to the upstairs bedroom of a house he has rented for the summer。She is forbidden from working so that she can recover from what he has diagnosed as a slight hysterical tendency。The windows of the room are barred，and there is a gate across the top of the stairs，allowing her husband to control her access to the rest of the house。With nothing to stimulate her，she becomes obsessed by the pattern and color of the room’s wallpaper。
1 It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer。
2 A colonial mansion，a hereditary estate，I would say a haunted house，and reach the height of romantic felicity—but that would be asking too much of fate！
3 Still I will proudly declare that there is something queer aboutit。
secure：v。得到
ancestral：adj。祖先的
mansion：n。別墅
hereditary：adj。世襲的
haunted：adj。鬧鬼的
felicity：n。精美
ask too much of……：對……要求過高
queer：adj。奇怪的4Else，why should it be let so cheaply？And why have stood so long untenanted？
5 John laughs at me，of course，but one expects that in marriage。
評注：“空間”在小說中極具象征意義。空間焦慮感反映了女性在父權社會所處的從屬地位，決定了她們有限的活動範圍和生活內容。19世紀的西方社會認為女人應該是“屋子裏的天使”，這種在空間上對女人的束縛也是女性焦慮的根源。吉爾曼在小說的一開頭就呈現給讀者一幢給人哥特式幻想的舊宅。這座房子到底是否鬧鬼並不重要，重要的是它帶給敘述者“我”的不安和疑慮，而這種疑慮卻受到了丈夫的嘲笑。
6 John is practical in the extreme。He has no patience with faith，anintense horror of superstition，and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures。
7 John is a physician，and perhaps—（I would not say it to a livingsoul，ofcourse，but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind）—perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster。
8 You see he does not believe I am sick！
9 And what can one do？
10 If a physician of high standing，and one’s own husband，assures friends andrelatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do？
11 My brother is also a physician，and also of high standing，and he says the same thing。
12 So I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is，and tonics，and journeys，and air，andexercise，and am absolutely forbidden to“work”until I am well again。
superstition：n。迷信
scoff at：嘲弄
physician：n。內科醫師
high standing：地位高
temporary：adj。暫時的
hysterical：adj。歇斯底裏的
tendency：n。傾向
phosphate：n。磷酸鹽
phosphite：n。亞磷酸鹽
tonic：n。滋補品13Personally，I disagree with their ideas。
14 Personally，I believe that congenial work，with excitementand change，would do me good。
15 But what is one to do？
16 I did write for a while in spite of thembut it does exhaust me a gooddeal—having to be so sly about it，or else meet with heavy opposition。
17 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 dois to think about my condition，and I confess it always makes me feel bad。
評注：第6段到第17段簡單介紹了事情的來龍去脈。因為敘述者“我”有些“神經衰弱”，或者說有點“歇斯底裏的傾向”，她的丈夫，一位醫生，把她帶到這個古宅對她進行“休息療法”，這種療法強調完全休息，強迫進食和與外界隔絕。值得注意的是這種療法是被強加於女患者身上的。敘述者自己認為工作會緩解她精神上的壓力，但是在這件事情上，就如同在其他任何事情上一樣，她是沒有話語權的。她得聽從丈夫和哥哥的指令和安排。
18 So I will let it alone and talk about the house。
19 The most beautiful place！It is quite alone standing well back from theroad，quite three miles from the village。It makes me think of English places thatyou read about，for there are hedges and walls and gates that lock，and lots ofseparate little houses for the gardeners and people。
20 There is a delicious garden！I never saw such a garden—large and shady，full of box-bordered paths，and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them。
21 There were greenhouses，too，but they are all broken now。
22 There was some legal trouble，I believe，something about the heirs and co-heirsanyhow，the place has been empty for years。
23 That spoils my ghostliness，I am afraid，but I don’t care—there is something strange about the house—I can feel it。
24 I even said so to John one moonlight evening but he said what I felt wasa draught，and shut the window。
congenial：adj。適宜的
sly：adj。偷偷摸摸的
opposition：n。反對
let it alone：別管它
box-bordered paths：鑲著方塊的小徑
arbor：n。涼亭
heir：n。繼承人
co-heir：n。共同繼承人
spoil：vt。損壞
ghostliness：n。對幽靈的遐想
draught：n。氣流25I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes I’m sure I never used to beso sensitive。I think it is due to this nervous condition。
26 But John says if I feel so，I shall neglect proper self-controlso I take pains to controlmyself—before him，at least，and that makes me very tired。
27 I don’t like our room a bit。I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window，and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings！But John would not hear of it。
28 He said there was only one window and not room for two beds，and no nearroom for him if he took another。
29 He is very careful and loving，and hardly lets me stir without special direction。
30 I have a schedule prescription for each hour in the dayhe takes all care from me，and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more。
31 He said we came here solely on my account，that I was to have perfect rest and all the air I could get。“Your exercise depends on your strength，my dear，”said he，“and your food somewhat on your appetitebut air you can absorb all the time。”So we took the nursery at the top of the house。
due to：由於……
piazza：n。走廊
chintz：n。印花棉布
stir：vi。走動
direction：n。指示
prescription：n。處方
on one’s account：由於……的緣故
appetite：n。食欲
nursery：n。托兒所32It is a big，airy room，the whole floor nearly，with windows that look all ways，and air and sunshine galore。It was nursery first and then playroom and gymnasium，I should judgefor the windows are barred for little children，and there are rings and things in the walls。
評注：敘述者所住的房間是一個封閉與隔絕的空間。房間裏被裝上柵欄的窗戶和固定在地板上的床，都會使人想起監獄或精神病院裏用於禁錮囚犯或病人的工具。
33 The paint and paper look as if a boys’school had used it。It is stripped off—the paper—in great patches all around the head of my bed，about as far as I can reach，and in a great place on the other side of the room low down。I never saw a worse paper in my life。
34 One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin。
35 It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following，pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study，and when youfollow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge at outrageous angles，destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions。
galore：adv。豐富地
sprawling：adj。雜亂無章向外延伸的
flamboyant：adj。華麗的
artistic：adj。藝術的
sin：n。不合情理之事
confuse：vt。迷惑
pronounced：adj。明顯的，醒目的
irritate：v。刺激
provoke：vt。喚起，引起
lame：adj。不完全的
curve：n。曲線，彎曲
plunge：vi。陷入
outrageous：adj。不尋常的，不依慣例的
contradiction：n。矛盾36The color is repellent，almost revoltinga smouldering unclean yellow，strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight。
37 It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places，a sickly sulphur tint in others。
評注：牆紙在小說情節中起著重要作用。它以不同的形態表現了女主人公的思想狀況。
38 No wonder the children hated it！I should hate it myself if I had to livein this room long。
39 There comes John，and I must put this away—he hates to have me write a word。
……
40 We have been here two weeks，and I haven’t felt like writing before，since that first day。
41 I am sitting by the window now，up in this atrocious nursery，and thereis nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please，save lack of strength。
評注：寫作是敘述者排解內心壓抑的一種方式，但是她的丈夫卻禁止她寫作。十九世紀美國社會對女性作家持強烈的懷疑態度，女作家被看作是怪物。這充分體現了父權製社會對女性話語權的剝奪和壓製。
42 John is away all day，and even some nights when his cases are serious。
43 I am glad my case is not serious！
44 But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing。
repellent：adj。討人嫌的
revolting：adj。令人厭惡的
smouldering：adj。壓抑的
lurid：adj。可怕的
sulphur：n。硫磺
tint：n。色彩
atrocious：adj。糟糕的
hinder：v。阻礙
dreadfully：adv。可怕地
depressing：adj。壓抑的45John does not know how much I really suffer。He knows there is no reasonto suffer，and that satisfies him。
46 Of course it is only nervousness。It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way！
47 I meant to be such a help to John，such a real rest and comfort，and here I am a comparative burden already！
48 Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able—to dress and entertain，and order things。
49 It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby。Such a dear baby！
50 And yet I cannot be with him，it makes me so nervous。
51 I suppose John never was nervous in his life。He laughs at me so aboutthis wall-paper！
52 At first he meant to repaper the room，but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me，and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies。
53 He said that after the wall-paper was changed it would be the heavy bedstead，and then the barred windows，and then that gate at the head of the stairs，andso on。
54 “You know the place is doing you good，”he said，“and really，dear，I don’t care to renovate the house just for a three months’rental。”
55 “Then do let us go downstairs，”I said，“there are such pretty rooms there。”
56 Then he took me in his arms and called me a blessed little goose，and saidhe would go down to the cellar，if I wished，and have it whitewashed into the bargain。
57 But he is right enough about the beds and windows and things。
58 It is an airy and comfortable room as any one need wish，and，of course，I would not be so silly as to make him uncomfortable just for a whim。
59 I’m really getting quite fond of the big room，all but that horrid paper。
60 Out of one window I can see the garden，those mysterious deepshaded arbors，the riotous old-fashioned flowers，and bushes and gnarly trees。
61 Out of another I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to the estate。There is a beautiful shaded lane that runsdown there fromthe house。I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors，but John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least。He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making，a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies，and that I ought to use mywill and good sense to check the tendency。So I try。
62 I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me。
63 But I find I get pretty tired when I try。
64 It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work。When I get really well，John says we will ask Cousin Henry and Julia down fora long visitbut he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now。
65 I wish I could get well faster。
66 But I must not think about that。This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had！
renovate：v。翻新
whim：n。怪念頭
riotous：adj。狂歡的
gnarly：adj。多瘤的
wharf：n。碼頭
estate：n。房產
caution：vt。警告
good sense：理性
companionship：n。友誼
put fireworks in my pillow-case：火上澆油
stimulating：adj。刺激的
vicious：adj。不道德的67There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down。
68 I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and theeverlastingness。Up and down and sideways they crawl，and those absurd，unblinking eyes are everywhere。There is one place where two breadths didn’t match，and the eyes go all up and down the line，one a little higher than the other。
69 I never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before，and we all knowhow much expression they have！I used to lie awake as a child and get more entertainment and terror out of blank walls and plain furniture than most children could find in a toy-store。
70 I remember what a kindly wink the knobs of our big，old bureau used to have，and there was one chair that always seemed like a strong friend。
71 I used to feel that if any of the other things looked too fierce I could always hop into that chair and be safe。
72 The furniture in this room is no worse than inharmonious，however，for wehad to bring it all from downstairs。I suppose when this was used as a playroom they had to take the nursery things out，and no wonder！I never saw such ravages as the children have made here。
recurrent：adj。反複出現的
loll：v。懶洋洋地垂著
impertinence：n。無禮
everlastingness：n。沒完沒了
absurd：adj。荒謬的
breadth：n。寬幅，在文中是“牆紙的寬度”的意思
inanimate：adj。無生命的
wink：n。眼色
bureau：n。衣櫃
fierce：adj。凶猛的
hop：v。單腳跳
no worse than：並不……
inharmonious：adj。不和諧的
ravage：n。破壞73The wall-paper，as I said before，is torn off in spots，and it sticks closer than a brother—they must have had perseverance as well ashatred。