Asylum

The new asylum that Esther goes to is really nice. It is private and is being paid for by some famous writer that takes interest in Esther’s case because she used to be in an asylum herself.
At the new institution, there are no bars on the windows. It seems almost like a country club. None of the patients are never in because they are outside playing sports or something. There is a lot more trust here. Esther’s doctor is a woman, which surprises her. Dr. Nolan starts out trying to gain a lot of trust by Esther. She first asks her about Dr. Gordon and Esther explains how she hated the shock treatments and how it made her feel. Dr. Nolan told her that it should feel like you are sleeping, and many people actually enjoy them. She told her that if Esther were to ever have to go through more shock treatment, she would give her a warning.
After she leaves, Esther finds a box of matches left by Dr. Nolan. I think she left them because she wants Esther to trust her. Why else would she have left fire to a crazy person?
I don’t think that Esther would have been better where she was. Throughout the novel, I feel that she is getting more and more paranoid. She feels that everything is a test and people are testing her. At the old asylum, the nurses and doctors didn’t really treat the patients that well. One time when Esther kicks off some thermometers and states that it was an accident, a nurse yells at her. At the new asylum, she has been cooperating much better and has actually been moved to a better room.