Hence, the man lives off the woman's existence. .
The narrator goes on to say that the wallpaper pattern is like "an interminable string of toadstools, budding and sprouting in endless convolutions." First off, toadstools are mushrooms, a type of fungus. Furthermore, a toadstool is not just any kind of mushroom, but specifically a poisonous variety of mushroom. The fact that the narrator specifically designates the fungus as toadstools furthers to express the negative attitude the narrator has towards the wallpaper. The description of the wallpaper as a poisonous fungus, that is intertwined, and "endless," continues to promote the idea that the narrator views society as she views the wallpaper. Society is also very intertwined and to the narrator is a poison to her very being. The endless effect of the design on the wallpaper has the same effect as the endless rules and regulations that society inflicts on the narrator. .
In this passage the narrator points out that the wallpaper changes in response to the light of day, verses the light at night. The factor of light in this passage implies that a woman's expected role in society is different depending on the situation. The narrator points out how women's role in society varies by stating that the wallpaper is so different by moonlight that she "wouldn't know it was the same paper." A woman's expected actions are most important for her to fulfill when she is around the rest of society, when there are others watching her expecting her to perform. It is most likely for the narrator to be under observation in the daytime when she must interact with the rest of her society. During the time the narrator is ill (or is it "ill willed") John always makes her take naps and rest in the daylight showing his desire to isolate her from society. At night the narrator is under less scrutiny, all of society is not judging her and her husband is subdued by sleep.
