the wallpaper represents the torment of theyoung bride's predicament... stare at the wallpaper and as your eyes relax the images of her two lovers will become apparent and she is lamenting having to make the choice. notice her leanings and the obvious number of handmaidens are respectfully representative of the fears of choosing poorly, spinster-ship, lesbianism, suffocation, and wastefullness.
teeman
or it could be that the painter forgot to crop the sucker.
Precisely! The modern aesthetic would have it in a landscape format and have cropped out the "superfluous" elements. Now, if it were "The Yellow Wallpaper" there might be even more psychological thrills for the viewer.