"The Yellow Wallpaper," a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, portrays the psychological deterioration of the narrator, who is confined to a room by her husband and isolated from the world. The narrator initially believes that the rest cure prescribed by her husband is helping her condition, but this perception is contradicted by her own observations and experiences.
One key excerpt that contradicts the narrator's belief in her improvement is found in her growing realization of her worsening mental state: "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." This line emphasizes the narrator's longing for companionship and intellectual stimulation, both of which her husband forbids her as part of her therapy. Her acknowledgment that thinking about her condition makes her feel worse indicates that she is not truly improving, but rather suppressing her feelings and thoughts to meet societal expectations.
As the story progresses, the narrator's mental state deteriorates further, and her obsession with the room's yellow wallpaper intensifies. She becomes convinced that there is a woman trapped behind the wallpaper and becomes increasingly detached from reality. This descent into madness contradicts her initial belief in her own improvement.
The story's conclusion provides a stark contrast to the narrator's belief. She completely loses touch with reality, identifying herself as the woman trapped behind the wallpaper and creeping around the room in a disturbing manner. This final scene solidifies the contradiction between the narrator's perceived improvement and her actual deteriorating mental state.