“for there are hedges and walls and gates that lock”
Throughout the entire story, it is important to note that the narrator is not once actually locked within any space. However, she is very conscious of the locks in place inside and around her home. These “gates that lock” represent the enclosure that she resides in, where it restricts outsiders from entering – like a prison. This idea of limiting visitors within the home is present throughout the story; John will not let the narrator have visitors or go visit others until she is better. These limitations and “locks” remind the narrator that she is emotionally and mentally imprisoned, and that her husband has complete control over her actions and feelings. Additionally, “hedges and walls” are often used to create privacy between the people within the home and those outside of it. Their purpose is to conceal and hide what is behind them. Seeing as the narrator has no control over this aspect of the home’s design, it is John who keeps these hedges, walls, and locks in place to keep the narrator secluded and hidden. The narrator’s conception of the world is limited to the items within the gates of the property: the nursery she lives in and outdoor landscape around the house. These boundaries that her husband sets and her limited conception of the world extends the restraint placed over her to be more than just physical; she is mentally, creatively, and intellectually stunted.
