the yellow wall paper Flashcards
Who is the author of The Yellow Wallpaper?
Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
What is the setting of The Yellow Wallpaper?
A secluded mansion, where the narrator is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper.
What is the narrator’s main mental condition?
The narrator suffers from postpartum depression.
What is the narrator’s husband’s profession?
He is a physician.
Why is the narrator confined to the room?
Her husband prescribes rest and isolation as a treatment for her condition.
What does the yellow wallpaper symbolize?
The yellow wallpaper symbolizes the narrator’s mental state and oppression.
How does the narrator feel about the wallpaper initially?
She finds the wallpaper repellent and unsettling.
How does the narrator’s perception of the wallpaper change over time?
She becomes obsessed with it, believing there is a woman trapped inside the wallpaper.
What is the role of the narrator’s husband, John, in the story?
He is a caring but controlling figure, enforcing the rest cure and limiting the narrator’s agency.
What is the significance of the narrator’s journal?
The journal serves as an outlet for her thoughts and frustrations, and it records her descent into madness.
How does the narrator describe the room she is confined to?
She describes it as a former nursery, with barred windows and an unpleasant yellow wallpaper.
What does the narrator believe is hidden behind the wallpaper?
She believes there is a woman trapped inside the wallpaper, trying to escape.
How does the narrator’s mental state evolve throughout the story?
She becomes increasingly obsessed with the wallpaper and begins to lose touch with reality.
How does the narrator eventually try to free the woman in the wallpaper?
She locks herself in the room and begins tearing the wallpaper off to release the woman.
What is the significance of the narrator’s final action at the end of the story?
The final action represents her complete break from reality and her complete identification with the woman in the wallpaper.
Who else is in the house with the narrator besides John?
Jennie, John’s sister, who helps take care of the narrator.
How does Jennie react to the narrator’s obsession with the wallpaper?
Jennie is unaware of the depth of the narrator’s obsession and believes it is simply part of her recovery process.
What is the “rest cure” prescribed by the narrator’s husband?
A treatment involving complete rest, confinement to a room, and a lack of mental stimulation.
How does the rest cure contribute to the narrator’s deterioration?
It isolates her and suppresses her creativity, leading to increased anxiety and obsession with the wallpaper.
How is the theme of gender roles explored in the story?
The story critiques the dominant, controlling role of men in women’s lives during the period, especially in medical treatment and family dynamics.
What is the tone of the narrator’s journal entries?
The tone shifts from hopeful and confused to paranoid and desperate.
How does the setting of the room reflect the narrator’s situation?
The room, with its oppressive wallpaper and barred windows, reflects the narrator’s confinement and psychological entrapment.
What does the woman in the wallpaper symbolize?
She symbolizes the narrator’s own entrapment and the broader confinement of women in society.
What does the narrator mean when she says “I lie here on this great big bed that is all in the corner” in her journal?
She feels physically and mentally trapped in her environment, symbolizing her isolation.
How does John’s treatment of the narrator reflect attitudes toward women’s mental health during the time period?
John’s dismissive and controlling behavior reflects the era’s tendency to trivialize women’s mental health issues, especially those related to childbirth.
Why is the narrator not allowed to write?
John believes writing will overexert her, which reflects the repression of women’s voices during the period.
What is the significance of the “smoldering” quality of the wallpaper’s yellow color?
The smoldering quality suggests the growing intensity of the narrator’s obsession and mental instability.
What role does the theme of madness play in the story?
The story explores the fragility of mental health, the effects of isolation, and how societal expectations can contribute to madness
How does the narrator’s perception of her husband change over the course of the story?
She becomes increasingly resentful of John, seeing him as an oppressive figure, despite his initial portrayal as loving and concerned.
How does the theme of freedom and imprisonment appear in the story?
The narrator feels both physically and mentally imprisoned by her environment, medical treatment, and social expectations.
What role does the physical environment play in the narrator’s mental state?
The oppressive and confining environment, especially the room with the yellow wallpaper, amplifies the narrator’s mental deterioration.
How does the narrator react when she discovers the woman in the wallpaper?
She becomes fixated on the woman, and her obsession grows as she believes the woman is struggling to escape.
Why does the narrator believe that the wallpaper is moving?
Her mental state deteriorates, and she believes the pattern in the wallpaper comes alive, which reflects her growing paranoia.
How does the story critique the medical establishment’s treatment of women?
The story critiques the patronizing and dismissive attitudes toward women’s mental health, exemplified by John’s treatment of the narrator
What is the symbolic significance of the narrator tearing down the wallpaper?
: Tearing down the wallpaper symbolizes the narrator’s desperate attempt to break free from the constraints of her mental illness and societal oppression.
How does the story demonstrate the effects of isolation on mental health?
The narrator’s increasing obsession with the wallpaper and her eventual breakdown are a direct result of her isolation and lack of mental stimulation.
How is the theme of repression explored in the story?
The narrator’s emotions and creative impulses are repressed by her husband, and her mental illness is dismissed as mere hysteria.
What is the significance of the wallpaper’s pattern?
The chaotic, confusing pattern represents the narrator’s fragmented mental state and her struggle to make sense of her confinement.
How does the narrator’s relationship with her husband evolve throughout the story?
Initially, the relationship seems caring, but as the story progresses, the narrator perceives John as controlling and oppressive.
What role does Jennie play in the story?
Jennie serves as a caretaker but also symbolizes the passive role of women in the era, as she too is confined by societal expectations.
What is the significance of the narrator’s final line in the story, “I’ve got out at last, in spite of you and Jane”?
This line signifies the narrator’s complete break from reality, as she identifies with the woman in the wallpaper and rejects her previous identity.
What role does creativity play in the story?
The suppression of the narrator’s creativity exacerbates her mental health decline, while her obsession with the wallpaper is an outlet for her creative energy.
How does the story explore the theme of power and control?
John’s authoritative role reflects the control exerted over women’s lives during this period, while the narrator’s descent into madness is a consequence of this control.
How does the story reflect the social norms of the late 19th century?
It highlights the limited roles for women, the medicalization of female emotions, and the stifling of women’s voices.
What is the significance of the “nursery” setting of the room?
The nursery symbolizes the infantilization and lack of agency that the narrator experiences, as she is treated like a child under the control of her husband.
How does the theme of self-expression relate to the narrator’s fate?
The narrator’s lack of self-expression, particularly through writing and creativity, leads to her mental decline, suggesting the importance of personal agency.
What does the narrator’s belief that she can “creep” around the room represent?
It reflects her growing sense of alienation and submission to the oppressive forces around her.
How is the story’s narrative structure significant?
The first-person journal entries give insight into the narrator’s deteriorating mental state and allow the reader to experience her perspective directly.
What is the importance of the narrator’s obsession with the wallpaper’s texture?
The texture represents the complexity of her mental state, and her fixation on it reflects her inability to break free from her thoughts.
How does the narrator’s perception of the wallpaper reflect her psychological descent?
As her mental state deteriorates, her perception of the wallpaper becomes more distorted, reflecting her increasing disconnection from reality.
How does The Yellow Wallpaper serve as a critique of the treatment of women’s mental health in the 19th century?
It critiques the oppressive rest cure and the general dismissal of women’s voices and experiences, showcasing the consequences of neglecting mental health.
How does the narrator’s perception of John evolve by the end of the story?
She comes to see him as an obstacle to her freedom and mental well-being, contrasting his caring demeanor with her growing resentment.
What role does social isolation play in the narrator’s mental state?
Social isolation exacerbates the narrator’s condition, making her more vulnerable to obsession and delusion.
What is the importance of the story’s ending?
The ending highlights the narrator’s total mental breakdown and symbolizes her struggle to escape societal constraints.
What is the significance of the narrator being unable to leave the room?
The inability to leave the room mirrors her lack of freedom, both mentally and physically, in the oppressive situation imposed on her by her husband.
