the yellow wall paper

Question 1

Who is the author of The Yellow Wallpaper?

Answer 1

Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Question 2

What is the setting of The Yellow Wallpaper?

Answer 2

A secluded mansion, where the narrator is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper.

Question 3

What is the narrator’s main mental condition?

Answer 3

The narrator suffers from postpartum depression.

Question 4

What is the narrator’s husband’s profession?

Answer 4

He is a physician.

Question 5

Why is the narrator confined to the room?

Answer 5

Her husband prescribes rest and isolation as a treatment for her condition.

Question 6

What does the yellow wallpaper symbolize?

Answer 6

The yellow wallpaper symbolizes the narrator’s mental state and oppression.

Question 7

How does the narrator feel about the wallpaper initially?

Answer 7

She finds the wallpaper repellent and unsettling.

Question 8

How does the narrator’s perception of the wallpaper change over time?

Answer 8

She becomes obsessed with it, believing there is a woman trapped inside the wallpaper.

Question 9

What is the role of the narrator’s husband, John, in the story?

Answer 9

He is a caring but controlling figure, enforcing the rest cure and limiting the narrator’s agency.

Question 10

What is the significance of the narrator’s journal?

Answer 10

The journal serves as an outlet for her thoughts and frustrations, and it records her descent into madness.

Question 11

How does the narrator describe the room she is confined to?

Answer 11

She describes it as a former nursery, with barred windows and an unpleasant yellow wallpaper.

Question 12

What does the narrator believe is hidden behind the wallpaper?

Answer 12

She believes there is a woman trapped inside the wallpaper, trying to escape.

Question 13

How does the narrator’s mental state evolve throughout the story?

Answer 13

She becomes increasingly obsessed with the wallpaper and begins to lose touch with reality.

Question 14

How does the narrator eventually try to free the woman in the wallpaper?

Answer 14

She locks herself in the room and begins tearing the wallpaper off to release the woman.

Question 15

What is the significance of the narrator’s final action at the end of the story?

Answer 15

The final action represents her complete break from reality and her complete identification with the woman in the wallpaper.

Question 16

Who else is in the house with the narrator besides John?

Answer 16

Jennie, John’s sister, who helps take care of the narrator.

Question 17

How does Jennie react to the narrator’s obsession with the wallpaper?

Answer 17

Jennie is unaware of the depth of the narrator’s obsession and believes it is simply part of her recovery process.

Question 18

What is the “rest cure” prescribed by the narrator’s husband?

Answer 18

A treatment involving complete rest, confinement to a room, and a lack of mental stimulation.

Question 19

How does the rest cure contribute to the narrator’s deterioration?

Answer 19

It isolates her and suppresses her creativity, leading to increased anxiety and obsession with the wallpaper.

Question 20

How is the theme of gender roles explored in the story?

Answer 20

The story critiques the dominant, controlling role of men in women’s lives during the period, especially in medical treatment and family dynamics.

Question 21

What is the tone of the narrator’s journal entries?

Answer 21

The tone shifts from hopeful and confused to paranoid and desperate.

Question 22

How does the setting of the room reflect the narrator’s situation?

Answer 22

The room, with its oppressive wallpaper and barred windows, reflects the narrator’s confinement and psychological entrapment.

Question 23

What does the woman in the wallpaper symbolize?

Answer 23

She symbolizes the narrator’s own entrapment and the broader confinement of women in society.

Question 24

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?

Answer 24

She feels physically and mentally trapped in her environment, symbolizing her isolation.

Question 25

How does John’s treatment of the narrator reflect attitudes toward women’s mental health during the time period?

Answer 25

John’s dismissive and controlling behavior reflects the era’s tendency to trivialize women’s mental health issues, especially those related to childbirth.

Question 26

Why is the narrator not allowed to write?

Answer 26

John believes writing will overexert her, which reflects the repression of women’s voices during the period.

Question 27

What is the significance of the “smoldering” quality of the wallpaper’s yellow color?

Answer 27

The smoldering quality suggests the growing intensity of the narrator’s obsession and mental instability.

Question 28

What role does the theme of madness play in the story?

Answer 28

The story explores the fragility of mental health, the effects of isolation, and how societal expectations can contribute to madness

Question 29

How does the narrator’s perception of her husband change over the course of the story?

Answer 29

She becomes increasingly resentful of John, seeing him as an oppressive figure, despite his initial portrayal as loving and concerned.

Question 30

How does the theme of freedom and imprisonment appear in the story?

Answer 30

The narrator feels both physically and mentally imprisoned by her environment, medical treatment, and social expectations.

Question 31

What role does the physical environment play in the narrator’s mental state?

Answer 31

The oppressive and confining environment, especially the room with the yellow wallpaper, amplifies the narrator’s mental deterioration.

Question 32

How does the narrator react when she discovers the woman in the wallpaper?

Answer 32

She becomes fixated on the woman, and her obsession grows as she believes the woman is struggling to escape.

Question 33

Why does the narrator believe that the wallpaper is moving?

Answer 33

Her mental state deteriorates, and she believes the pattern in the wallpaper comes alive, which reflects her growing paranoia.

Question 34

How does the story critique the medical establishment’s treatment of women?

Answer 34

The story critiques the patronizing and dismissive attitudes toward women’s mental health, exemplified by John’s treatment of the narrator

Question 35

What is the symbolic significance of the narrator tearing down the wallpaper?

Answer 35

: Tearing down the wallpaper symbolizes the narrator’s desperate attempt to break free from the constraints of her mental illness and societal oppression.

Question 36

How does the story demonstrate the effects of isolation on mental health?

Answer 36

The narrator’s increasing obsession with the wallpaper and her eventual breakdown are a direct result of her isolation and lack of mental stimulation.

Question 37

How is the theme of repression explored in the story?

Answer 37

The narrator’s emotions and creative impulses are repressed by her husband, and her mental illness is dismissed as mere hysteria.

Question 38

What is the significance of the wallpaper’s pattern?

Answer 38

The chaotic, confusing pattern represents the narrator’s fragmented mental state and her struggle to make sense of her confinement.

Question 39

How does the narrator’s relationship with her husband evolve throughout the story?

Answer 39

Initially, the relationship seems caring, but as the story progresses, the narrator perceives John as controlling and oppressive.

Question 40

What role does Jennie play in the story?

Answer 40

Jennie serves as a caretaker but also symbolizes the passive role of women in the era, as she too is confined by societal expectations.

Question 41

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”?

Answer 41

This line signifies the narrator’s complete break from reality, as she identifies with the woman in the wallpaper and rejects her previous identity.

Question 42

What role does creativity play in the story?

Answer 42

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.

Question 43

How does the story explore the theme of power and control?

Answer 43

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.

Question 44

How does the story reflect the social norms of the late 19th century?

Answer 44

It highlights the limited roles for women, the medicalization of female emotions, and the stifling of women’s voices.

Question 45

What is the significance of the “nursery” setting of the room?

Answer 45

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.

Question 46

How does the theme of self-expression relate to the narrator’s fate?

Answer 46

The narrator’s lack of self-expression, particularly through writing and creativity, leads to her mental decline, suggesting the importance of personal agency.

Question 47

What does the narrator’s belief that she can “creep” around the room represent?

Answer 47

It reflects her growing sense of alienation and submission to the oppressive forces around her.

Question 48

How is the story’s narrative structure significant?

Answer 48

The first-person journal entries give insight into the narrator’s deteriorating mental state and allow the reader to experience her perspective directly.

Question 49

What is the importance of the narrator’s obsession with the wallpaper’s texture?

Answer 49

The texture represents the complexity of her mental state, and her fixation on it reflects her inability to break free from her thoughts.

Question 50

How does the narrator’s perception of the wallpaper reflect her psychological descent?

Answer 50

As her mental state deteriorates, her perception of the wallpaper becomes more distorted, reflecting her increasing disconnection from reality.

Question 51

How does The Yellow Wallpaper serve as a critique of the treatment of women’s mental health in the 19th century?

Answer 51

It critiques the oppressive rest cure and the general dismissal of women’s voices and experiences, showcasing the consequences of neglecting mental health.

Question 52

How does the narrator’s perception of John evolve by the end of the story?

Answer 52

She comes to see him as an obstacle to her freedom and mental well-being, contrasting his caring demeanor with her growing resentment.

Question 53

What role does social isolation play in the narrator’s mental state?

Answer 53

Social isolation exacerbates the narrator’s condition, making her more vulnerable to obsession and delusion.

Question 54

What is the importance of the story’s ending?

Answer 54

The ending highlights the narrator’s total mental breakdown and symbolizes her struggle to escape societal constraints.

Question 55

What is the significance of the narrator being unable to leave the room?

Answer 55

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.