JOHN

Another character is the narrator’s husband John, who is described through both direct and indirect types of characterization. First of all, the main traits of his character are mentioned by the narrator: “John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures”. As such, John embodies a supreme rationality that makes it difficult for the narrator to convince him of her sincere discomfort with her room and its coloring. 

Moreover, we get to know that the man is a high-ranking physician: “John is a physician … a physician of high standing” However, he fails to cure his wife’s disease. Even worse! He fails to admit that his prescriptions do not work. I guess that in the following lines are implied a sort of irony: "...you really are better, dear, whether you can see it or not.  I am a doctor, dear, and I know.  You are gaining flesh and color, your appetite is better".  The narrator’s reply is: "I don't weigh a bit more, nor as much; and my appetite may be better in the evening when you are here, but it is worse in the morning when you are away!" John is so sure that he knows what’s best for his wife that he disregards her own opinion of the matter, forcing her to hide sincere feelings: “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.”

To say the least of it, John consistently patronizes his second half: “He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction. I have a schedule prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more.” Charlotte Perkins Gilman makes us of irony here extremely skillfully, which helps her to show the real side of the personality of John.