The Yellow Wallpaper Questions and Answers
The Yellow Wallpaper
John's fainting and the narrator's creeping in "The Yellow Wallpaper."
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," John's fainting and the narrator's creeping symbolize the culmination of the narrator's mental breakdown and the complete reversal of traditional gender roles. John's...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Description of the narrator's room in "The Yellow Wallpaper."
The narrator's room in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is described as a former nursery with barred windows, a heavy bed nailed down, and a distinct yellow wallpaper that she finds repellent. The wallpaper's...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Gothic elements and their impact in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," Gothic elements such as the eerie setting, the descent into madness, and the oppressive atmosphere heighten the story's psychological tension. These elements underscore the...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Narrator's Unreliability and Nervous Condition in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator is depicted as unreliable due to her deteriorating mental state, exacerbated by the "rest cure" prescribed by her husband. Her...
The Yellow Wallpaper
The significance of the name "Jane" in "The Yellow Wallpaper."
The significance of the name "Jane" in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is often interpreted as the narrator's true identity. In the story, the name appears near the end, suggesting a moment of...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Contrasts and differences between "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "The Story of an Hour"
"The Yellow Wallpaper" and "The Story of an Hour" both explore themes of female oppression, but they differ in their protagonists' responses. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator descends into...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What information is given about the baby in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the baby, while not greatly detailed, holds significant symbolic value. The protagonist is separated from her child, who is cared for by a nanny. This separation emphasizes...
The Yellow Wallpaper
The narrator's tone in "The Yellow Wallpaper" and how it is established through literary elements
The narrator's tone in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is one of increasing desperation and madness, established through literary elements such as vivid imagery, fragmented sentence structure, and a...
The Yellow Wallpaper
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," what is seen from the upstairs windows and their emotional quality?
From the upstairs windows in "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator sees a garden, a bay, and a shaded lane, all representing what she emotionally lacks: peace, stability, and social connection. These...
The Yellow Wallpaper
The Role of Setting in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," the setting is central to the story's themes and the protagonist's mental decline. The story takes place in an isolated, dilapidated mansion...
The Yellow Wallpaper
The Yellow Wallpaper Ending
At the end of "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator breaks with reality, realizing that she is the trapped woman she believes she has seen in the wallpaper in her room. When her husband enters the...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Narrator's Perception, Motivation, and Escape in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator suffers from postpartum depression, exacerbated by the "rest cure" prescribed by her husband and doctors, who dismiss her concerns. This lack of agency and...
The Yellow Wallpaper
In this excerpt from "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which sentence implies that the narrator is...
The sentence that implies the narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is unreliable is (d). This sentence describes seeing a "strange, provoking, formless sort of figure" behind the wallpaper's design,...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What is ironic about the ending of “The Yellow Wallpaper”?
What is ironic about the ending of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is that it's the narrator who is supposed to be hysterical, yet her husband is the one who faints. Throughout the story, he has been the...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What are examples of pathos and ethos in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," ethos is illustrated through John's authority as a physician, which conflicts with Jane's perspective and challenges his credibility. Jane's brother, also a doctor,...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What critical lenses can be applied to this quote from The Yellow Wallpaper?
This quotation from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novella The Yellow Wallpaper epitomizes the author’s ornately descriptive writing style concerning the story’s primary object: the deteriorating yellow...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What are examples of direct and indirect characterization in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," direct characterization includes the narrator explicitly stating her need for social interaction and her dissatisfaction with her husband's care. Indirect characterization...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Analyze the following quote from "The Yellow Wallpaper."
This quote highlights the narrator's growing madness and frustration in "The Yellow Wallpaper." She identifies with the woman trapped behind the wallpaper's "bars," symbolizing her own imprisonment...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Narrator's Character and Attitude in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
The narrator of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is depicted as tormented, sluggish, and resilient, reflecting her mental instability and sensitivity. Her journal entries reveal a...
The Yellow Wallpaper
How does "The Yellow Wallpaper" reflect Marxist theory?
"The Yellow Wallpaper" reflects Marxist theory by illustrating the narrator's dependency on her husband, mirroring how capitalist societies render women powerless by denying them property and...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Why are the characters in "The Yellow Wallpaper" living in a colonial mansion?
John and his wife, the story's narrator, are living in the colonial mansion so that the wife can recover from postpartum depression. All we learn of the history of the house is that it has been empty...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Conflict resolution in The Yellow Wallpaper
Conflict resolution in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is achieved through the protagonist's descent into madness. As her mental state deteriorates, she tears down the wallpaper, symbolically freeing herself...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Critical approaches to "The Yellow Wallpaper" and how to write a response
To write a response to "The Yellow Wallpaper," consider exploring critical approaches such as feminist theory, which examines the story as a critique of the oppression of women, or psychoanalytic...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Comparisons and parallels between the narrators in "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Yellow Wallpaper," and between...
The narrators in "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" share similarities, such as being mentally ill and unaware of their illness's extent. Both stories focus on psychological states,...
The Yellow Wallpaper
How does the narrator describe the wallpaper's smell in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
The narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" describes the smell of the wallpaper as a yellow smell. There's a strange odor pervading the house, and she can't quite put her finger on what it is. But...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Key elements, devices, conventions, and terms in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
"The Yellow Wallpaper" employs several key literary devices, including epistolary style, irony, and an unreliable narrator. The story is presented through Jane's journal entries, showcasing her...
The Yellow Wallpaper
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," what is the narrator's initial situation?
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator's initial situation involves being confined to a room in an old estate rented by her husband for the summer. She is subjected to the "rest cure" for her...
The Yellow Wallpaper
How does the main character in "The Yellow Wallpaper" develop into a dynamic, round character?
The main character in "The Yellow Wallpaper" develops into a dynamic, round character through her descent into madness. Initially, she appears as a reliable narrator with mild animosity towards her...
The Yellow Wallpaper
How do the meanings of "yellow," "creeping," "immovable bed," and "outside pattern" evolve throughout "The Yellow...
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the word "yellow" evolves from implying disease and decay, contrasting typical associations with happiness. "Creeping" initially describes the woman in the wallpaper but...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What are the similarities and differences between "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "A Doll's House"?
Both "The Yellow Wallpaper" and A Doll's House explore women's roles and their treatment by controlling husbands. In both, the husbands infantilize their wives with pet names. Nora, from A Doll's...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Is Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" a work of Realism or Naturalism?
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is often associated with psychological realism and Gothic literature rather than strictly Realism or Naturalism. While it depicts everyday...
The Yellow Wallpaper
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," how do changes in wallpaper from daylight to moonlight affect the mood?
The changes in the wallpaper are a reflection of the emotional state of the woman, which is why the "strange" change to the yellow wallpaper can be interpreted as a sign that she is mentally ill. The...
The Yellow Wallpaper
The narrator's ailment and use of personification in "The Yellow Wallpaper."
The narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" suffers from postpartum depression, which is exacerbated by the rest cure prescribed by her husband. She uses personification to describe the wallpaper,...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Symbolism in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the yellow wallpaper as a powerful symbol of the narrator's mental deterioration and societal oppression. The wallpaper reflects her...
The Yellow Wallpaper
In Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," who is the intended audience?
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is primarily aimed at the male establishment, including doctors and husbands, who dictated women's healthcare without considering their voices. The...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Meaningful and interesting quotes from "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Meaningful and interesting quotes from "The Yellow Wallpaper" include: "I sometimes fancy that in my condition, if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus," reflecting the narrator's...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What are some comparisons between "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Trifles"?
"The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Trifles" both explore themes of repression, the treatment of women, and alienation. The protagonists, an unnamed narrator and Mrs. Wright, suffer from oppressive...
The Yellow Wallpaper
How does the narrator describe the house in "The Yellow Wallpaper", and what is the significance of "colonial...
The narrator describes the house as a "colonial mansion" and "hereditary estate," evoking a sense of grandeur and history, suggesting it is more imposing and significant than expected. These terms,...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Why won't John renovate the house in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
John won't renovate the house or replace the wallpaper in "The Yellow Wallpaper" because that would run counter to his belief that the narrator's apparent illness is all in her own head. He thinks...
The Yellow Wallpaper
How would you rewrite the ending of "The Yellow Wallpaper" or "The Tell-Tale Heart"?
"The Yellow Wallpaper" could end with the narrator escaping her husband's control by fleeing the house or having her husband, John, enter her delusional state, giving her power over him. For "The...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What does the narrator mean by a "smell creeping" in "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
The narrator describes the smell of the wallpaper as "creeping" because it permeates the entire house and clings to her clothes and hair. This pervasive odor becomes particularly noticeable after wet...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What are two names the narrator's husband uses for her in The Yellow Wallpaper?
In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator's husband refers to her as a "blessed little goose" and a "little girl." These terms reflect his patronizing attitude, treating her as a child rather than...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Is "The Yellow Wallpaper" an example of cultural modernism?
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is an example of cultural modernism.
The Yellow Wallpaper
What are the similarities between "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "The Cask of Amontillado"?
Both "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "The Cask of Amontillado" feature unreliable narrators, creating ambiguity about the truth of their accounts. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator's descent into...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What aspects of the house, grounds, and room upset the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper?
The narrator is disturbed by the house because it feels like a "haunted house" and is unusually cheap to rent. She dislikes the bedroom due to its "repellant" yellow wallpaper and features suggesting...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What are the similarities and differences in identity between "Bliss" and "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
Katherine Mansfield’s "Bliss" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper" both deal primarily with gender identity. Similarities include female, upper-middle class protagonists who...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Is Gilman suggesting that John and his wife are sexually inactive and John is having affairs?
Gilman does not explicitly suggest that John and his wife are sexually inactive or that John is having affairs. The story highlights a lack of communication and emotional disconnect between the...
The Yellow Wallpaper
Is "The Yellow Wallpaper" a ghost story?
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is not a ghost story because it does not have supernatural elements. Instead, it is concerned solely with the real world. The narrator's insanity is not caused by a...
The Yellow Wallpaper
The use and benefits of the first-person point of view in "The Yellow Wallpaper"
The first-person point of view in "The Yellow Wallpaper" allows readers to intimately experience the protagonist's descent into madness. It provides direct insight into her thoughts and feelings,...
The Yellow Wallpaper
What specific details and literary elements stand out in the following passage from "The Yellow Wallpaper" and what...
Specific details that stand out and literary devices that invite attention in this passage from “The Yellow Wallpaper” include personification, imagery, and gothic conventions. The passage raises...