Plot
Who is John?
The narrator's husband
What is the narrator's name?
She remains unnamed throughout the story
What time period, that this story is based in, contributes to this story's theme?
The Victorian period
What does this say about the narrator's situation?
"You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?"
It shows that the narrator has no control over her life. It also shows that John does not listen to her needs. She is powerless.
Who is Dr. Weir Mitchell?
The most famous doctor in regards to the rest cure.
What is the narrator diagnosed with?
hysteria
What is the most likely real cause of the narrator's mental health issues BEFORE she arrives at the house?
post-partum depression
What is the 'treatment' given to women who are diagnosed with hysteria?
the rest cure
What is the tone of the following quote?
"The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow turning sunlight."
Disgust
What is John's job?
He is a doctor
who is Jane?
John's sister
Does the narrator agree with her treatment? (being diagnosed with hysteria and being put on the rest cure)
no, she believes "congenial work" would do her good.
Who does John threaten to send the narrator to if she does not get better?
Dr. Weir Mitchell
What does this quote show about the character's mental state?
"I'm getting really fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper. It dwells in my mind so!"
It identifies her growing, unhealthy obsession with the wallpaper, which highlights her mental decline. Going further into sanity because of her isolation.
What was the room of the yellow wallpaper before they moved in?
a nursery
What does John do when he finally sees the narrator behind the locked door at the end of the story?
He faints
Who is the author of "The Yellow Wallpaper"; the person the narrator is based off of?
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
How does the narrator's and John's marriage exemplify the theme of the oppression of women?
John controls her, down to even what she does hour by hour throughout the day. She has no power within the relationship.
What is the metaphor in the following quote? What does it mean?
"At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, and lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars!
The woman behind the yellow wallpaper is a symbol for the narrator and her current situan. The bars symbolize the idea of a jail cell, and how the narrator is stuck in her own prison. The rest cure.
Who was the queen in the Victorian Era?
Queen Victoria
How long is their stay at the "colonial mansion"?
3 months
What NOT allowed activity does the narrator continuously do throughout the short story?
Write in her journal.
hysteria directly translates to 'uterus' in greek. This further shows how women were targeted for their mental health issues thus further oppressed by the men in society.
What does the following quote show about the narrator's mental health towards the end of the story
"I've got out at last," said I, "in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!"
It shows just how far her mental health has declined because of the isolation of the rest cure. It also shows how she was the woman in the yellow wallpaper the entire time.
What is the definition of the word "spite"
a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone.