the yellow wallpaper critical thinking questions

'The Yellow Wallpaper' Questions for Study

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M.A., English Literature, California State University - Sacramento
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"The Yellow Wallpaper" Questions for Study and Discussion:

The Yellow Wallpaper is the most famous work by Charlotte Perkins Gilman . She also wrote about why she created this short work in Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper .Students often are asked to read this story in Literature classes --the description is compelling, and the storyline is unforgettable. Here are a few questions for study and discussion related to this famous work.

What is important about the title, The Yellow Wallpaper ?
Could the wallpaper have been any other color? How would a change in color have changed the story? How does the color "yellow" affect you? Do you like (or dislike) it? What are the psychological implications of the color "yellow"? How would a different color change the story?
How does the narrator's description of the wallpaper change over time? How is the wallpaper representative of the domestic sphere?
Could the story have taken place in a different place (or at a different time)? Why does the narrator live in a "colonial mansion"? What does the setting mean? Is it important?
Why does Charlotte Perkins Gilman change the point of view? Is it an effective technique?
Why does the narrator say: "what can one do?"? How does that statement represent her state of mind?
Why do you think Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper? Historically, the story was based on personal experience (autobiographical)--how effectively does Gilman employ the events of her life to create this work of literature ?
What are the conflicts in The Yellow Wallpaper? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) did you notice? Is the conflict resolved?
How does Charlotte Perkins Gilman reveal character in The Yellow Wallpaper?
Do you care about the characters? Do you like (or dislike) them? How real (or well-developed) do they seem to you?
What are some themes in The Yellow Wallpaper? Symbols? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
Does The Yellow Wallpaper end the way you expected? Did you expect a longer (or more involved narrative)? How? Why?
What is the central/primary purpose of The Yellow Wallpaper? Is the purpose important or meaningful?
What is the role of women in the text? How are mothers represented? What about single/independent women? What is important about women--in the historical context?
How does the narrator's relationship with her husband evolve/change? Does her mental state improve or worsen?
Compare the main character in The Yellow Wallpaper with the mad woman in the attic (from Jane Eyre ). What does love have to do with it? What about mental illness?
Compare the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper with Edna in The Awakening . Is the narrator suicidal?
Compare the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper with Susan from Doris Lessing's "To Room 19." Is the narrator suicidal?
Compare the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper with the narrator from Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway . Why is the party so important?
Would you recommend The Yellow Wallpaper to a friend? Why? Why not?
What did you enjoy (or hate) most about The Yellow Wallpaper? Why?
Why is The Yellow Wallpaper sometimes considered essential reading in Feminist Literature? What are the qualities that make it representative?
How does The Yellow Wallpaper fit in with the other known works of literature by Charlotte Perkins Gilman ?

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The Yellow Wallpaper Questions and Answers

the yellow wallpaper critical thinking questions

Looking for The Yellow Wallpaper questions and answers? Emotional and autobiographical, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman leaves many questions unanswered.

This page contains a list of answers to the key The Yellow Wallpaper’s questions. They may be used both for discussion and assessment. If you want to read the full versions of the answers, click on the links.

❓ The Yellow Wallpaper Q&A

Is it possible to sympathize with the main character of the yellow wallpaper.

The Yellow Wallpaper portrays a woman driven into insanity being locked in the house. In the beginning, one can think that the protagonist is a smart and rational woman. But it proves to be wrong by the end. This character portrays a tragic story of mental illnesses, delusions, and abusive relationships.

By the fourth of July, what does the narrator admit about the wallpaper?

By the fourth of July, the narrator confesses that the wallpaper starts to grow on her. This admission confirms the fact that her mental well-being is declining. That is why John threatens her making an appointment with another doctor.

Why is there a change to the second point of view in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The story shows a gradual mental breakdown of the narrator. She reveals it in her diary and goes mad by the end of the story. The point of view changes to highlight the narrator’s irreversible insanity.

The Yellow Wallpaper: at what point does the narrator go insane?

The novel shows the gradual decline of the narrator’s mental state. She reaches the point of complete insanity when she tears down the yellow paper at the end. Having done so, she begins to think that she is the woman who has just been freed from the wall.

The Yellow Wallpaper: is John the real villain of the story?

The Yellow Wallpaper is a story by feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman first published in 1892. It describes the dramatic experiences of a young woman. Her husband, John, is a physician and prescribes treatment for her postpartum depression. To cure, she needs to stay in a poorly furnished room of an old colonial mansion in the countryside.

What is the importance of the nurse in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. She describes a young woman’s dramatic experiences. Her husband, John, prescribed her treatment for postpartum depression. It consisted of staying in a poorly furnished room with the yellow wallpaper. Meanwhile, the nurse Mary takes care of their newborn child.

What role does the wallpaper woman play in the story?

Feminist writer Charlotte P. Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper. The plot reveals the suffering of a young woman who has to obey her husband. She receives the “rest cure” for “nervous exhaustion.” Jane is staying inactive in a poorly furnished room with the yellow wallpaper. Loneliness and idleness exhaust the woman so much that she loses her mind. She rips off the ugly wallpaper to free the woman hidden behind them.

“…And there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother”. Explain the quote.

When describing the wallpaper, which acts as a symbol of the protagonist’s confinement, the author uses Proverbs 18:24. She alludes to the character’s need for self-reflection. By the quote, the author implies that the narrator needs to recognize her imprisonment and help herself.

Which gothic element in The Yellow Wallpaper reflects a social attitude of Gilman’s time?

Charlotte Gilman’s story uses its setting to demonstrate the restrictions put on the main heroine. It symbolizes the position of women during the Victorian era.

What was Gilman’s most likely reason for sending a copy of her story to her former physician?

Charlotte Gilman sent a copy of her story to her ex-doctor. She wanted to show him how incorrect the cure for depression was. After her child’s birth, similar to her character, Gilman suffered from severe maternity blues. The author recovered because she stopped following the doctor’s orders.

What is the theme of The Yellow Wallpaper?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman discussed the position of women in society. It was particularly relevant when females had few rights, and males controlled them. The theme is significant in the 21st century, as men continue to discriminate against women.

Who is the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper?

The narrator personifies female weakness and submission in a patriarchal society. A woman was diagnosed with a mental disease and treated at home by her husband. She was locked in a terrible room for three months.

Who is Jane in the Yellow Wallpaper?

The most common theory is that Jane is the unnamed protagonist and the narrator. Gilman uses an unreliable narrator to show her rapid mental health decline. The character refers to herself in the third person, rejecting the social norms and her former self.

What is the importance of irony in The Yellow Wallpaper?

Irony plays a crucial role in the story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It emphasizes how the course of treatment chosen by the narrator’s husband aggravates her condition. It also increases the reader`s engagement and facilitates sympathy for the main character.

What time period is The Yellow Wallpaper set in?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper takes place between the late 1890s and early 1900s. The main reason is that the story depicts Gilman’s own life. Thus, it is a semi-autobiography.

What is the Narrator’s name in The Yellow Wallpaper?

There is no definite answer to the narrator’s name in The Yellow Wallpaper. She is never directly addressed throughout the short story. But some readers speculate that she might be called Jane due to one phrase she says at the end.

Which excerpt from The Yellow Wallpaper contradicts the Narrator’s belief that she is improving?

The Yellow Wallpaper is a story by feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The heroine of the story goes through a “rest cure” in a room with yellow wallpaper. She reflects on the wallpaper pattern and keeps a diary where she notes the improvement in her condition. Starting with Chapter 11, the character’s obsessive thoughts about the wallpaper design turn into hallucinations.

Why did John faint in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The reason for John to faint at the end of the story is his shock provoked by his wife’s mental state. He prescribes the “rest therapy” to eliminate any distressing events that could worsen his wife’s depression. But this approach only leads the main character to insanity, which John observes in full glory in the last chapter.

What does creeping mean in The Yellow Wallpaper?

“Creeping” in the story by Charlotte P. Gilman symbolizes the struggle of women to overcome domestic captivity. The word appears in the text many times. It adds to the story’s creepy air that unfolds around a woman who became a domestic violence victim.

What event caused the Narrator’s mental illness in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The Yellow Wallpaper is written as the diary of a physician’s wife subjected to a rest cure. She goes through a “temporary nervous depression” after the birth of her child. In modern terms, it seems like she suffers from postpartum depression caused by a stressful pregnancy.

Who is the Woman in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The woman behind the wallpaper in Gilman’s short story represents the personality of the narrator. Throughout the plot, she falls into madness and seeks an escape. That’s why she identifies with the woman presumably kept behind the yellow wallpaper.

In The Yellow Wallpaper, how does the changing description of the wallpaper reflect the Narrator’s changing character?

The wallpaper is the screen onto which the narrator projects her fears. Its pattern makes her anxious about invisible supervision. At first, her condition is disquiet. Then it turns to obsessive anxiety, and, finally, madness. In the end, we witness an act of aggression.

Why was the Yellow Wallpaper written?

Gilman’s purpose for writing was to make readers think about social roles. She wanted to draw attention to the oppression of women. The author wants to prevent people from going insane under such pressure and raises courage.

How does The Yellow Wallpaper end?

At the end of the story, Jane crawls around the room in circles and touches the wallpaper. When John, her husband, faints, she keeps on circling the room. She steps over his inert body every time she passes by.

What are the best examples of figurative language in The Yellow Wallpaper?

Gilman uses figurative language like imagery, similes, and personification. The purpose is to achieve the effect of a woman being out of touch with reality.

What are the examples of foreshadowing in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The Yellow Wallpaper is told through the perspective of a woman who is slowly driven into insanity. First, she lacked human contact. Second, she was unable to distract herself from conflicting emotions. Third, John failed to support her when she needed it the most. Several foreshadowing elements open the story. But they reveal themselves only by the ending.

Why does the Narrator first dislike the yellow wallpaper?

The narrator finds the yellow color of the wallpaper disturbing and revolting. She doesn’t like the erratic patterns and the fact that the wallpaper is peeling off. She claims it’s the worst paper she has seen in her life.

What does The Yellow Wallpaper’s conclusion mean?

The creepy culmination of The Yellow Wallpaper has polarized interpretations. The ending is significant since the narrator finally breaks free from the chains of society. But soon, it gets clear that she is not free at all. She has to live with the prejudice patriarchy puts on her as a female. Insanity is the only way to battle this.

What does the Narrator’s description of the wallpaper reveal about the context of the story?

The changes in the wallpaper’s description show how the mental state of the narrator gets worse. The irritating pattern becomes an unbearable sight. Jane believes that there is a creeping woman behind it.

What happens at the end of The Yellow Wallpaper?

The ending of Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is tragic and symbolic. A woman suffering from nervous depression was locked in a room with good intentions. Eventually, she loses her mind. She tears the wallpapers off in an attempt to free an imaginary woman who was locked in the same place.

The Yellow Wallpaper: what was the author’s intention?

The Yellow Wallpaper was written in 1892. Back then, women did not have the fundamental right to be responsible for their lives and well-being. Men were the ones to decide what a woman should do or say. Gilman wrote her story to claim women to be independent and their voices worthy of attention.

What is the main conflict in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The Yellow Wallpaper contains several controversies. But the central conflict is the opposition between society and a man. This struggle of two concepts reflects modern problems as well.

What does the yellow wallpaper symbolize?

The yellow wallpaper is a collective symbol. It represents different aspects of the time when the story was written. It refers to the oppressive social standards of patriarchy. Women had no right to claim their voice, so the symbol represents their striving to gain autonomy and respect.

What is The Yellow Wallpaper ending like?

The narrator loses her mind following months of confinement in the rented mansion. She tears down the wallpaper and goes completely insane, as her husband John faints at the sight of it.

In The Yellow Wallpaper, what was the relationship between the Narrator and her husband?

The narrator’s condition and John’s intention to cure her destroy their marriage. John treats his wife, not as a lover. She is an accessory to him. John’s attitude, actions, and words offend the woman, and she feels belittled.

In The Yellow Wallpaper, the words such as “yellow” and “creeping” change their meanings. Why is it so?

The narrator undergoes a mental conversion that leads her to the revelation about freedom. She fixates on the wallpaper and projects her issues onto this symbol. Her obsession gives the walls additional meaning, and she becomes the “creeping woman.”

🎓 References

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Free Ebook
The Yellow Wall-Paper
Feminist Gothic in “The Yellow Wallpaper” | – Lone Star College
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Best reading questions for the yellow wallpaper

Home » Questions » Best reading questions for the yellow wallpaper

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892. It is a powerful and thought-provoking tale that explores themes of gender roles, mental health, and societal expectations. As readers delve into this captivating narrative, they are likely to encounter various thought-provoking moments and ideas. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive list of reading questions for “The Yellow Wallpaper” to enhance your understanding and analysis of this literary masterpiece.

Before we delve into the reading questions, let’s briefly discuss the plot and main themes of “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The story follows an unnamed narrator, a woman who is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper by her husband, John, who is also her physician. As the story progresses, the narrator’s mental state deteriorates, leading to a shocking revelation at the end. This story tackles themes of the oppression of women, the effects of isolation, and the perception of mental illness.

Now, let’s explore a comprehensive list of reading questions that will help deepen your understanding and analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

See these reading questions for “The Yellow Wallpaper”

How does the yellow wallpaper contribute to the overall atmosphere and mood of the story?
What role does John play in the narrator’s descent into madness?
How does the narrator’s perception of the wallpaper change throughout the story?
What is the significance of the barred windows in the narrator’s room?
How does the narrator’s isolation contribute to her mental deterioration?
What does the wallpaper symbolize in the story?
How does the narrator’s obsession with the wallpaper reflect her own suppressed desires?
What is the significance of the hidden figure the narrator sees in the wallpaper?
How does the story address the theme of gender roles and the oppression of women in society?
What is the significance of the nursery in the narrator’s room?
How does the story challenge the perception of mental illness during the time it was written?
What role does the narrator’s journal play in her descent into madness?
How does the story explore the theme of creativity and its suppression?
What is the significance of the color yellow in the wallpaper?
How does the story depict the power dynamics within the narrator’s marriage?
What effect does the narrator’s confinement have on her mental state?
What is the symbolism behind the torn wallpaper at the end of the story?
How does the story address the theme of freedom and confinement?
What is the significance of the final line: “I’ve got out at last, in spite of you and Jane!”?
How does the story challenge traditional notions of femininity and domesticity?
What role does the narrator’s sister-in-law, Jennie, play in the story?
How does the story explore the theme of self-expression and the suppression of individuality?
What is the connection between the narrator’s mental state and her physical surroundings?
How does the story address the theme of identity and self-discovery?
What is the significance of the moonlight in the story?
How does the story depict the narrator’s struggle for autonomy?
What effect does the unreliable narration have on the reader’s interpretation of the story?
How does the story challenge societal expectations of women and their roles in the 19th century?
What is the significance of the nursery rhyme the narrator mentions?
How does the story explore the theme of madness and sanity?
What is the significance of the narrator’s fascination with the wallpaper’s pattern?
How does the story address the theme of imprisonment and liberation?
What is the symbolism behind the creeping woman the narrator sees in the wallpaper?
How does the story portray the narrator’s desire for freedom and independence?
What is the significance of the nameless narrator?
How does the story challenge traditional gender roles and expectations?
What effect does the ending of the story have on the reader’s interpretation of the narrative?
How does the story explore the theme of self-destruction and self-discovery?
What is the significance of the wallpaper’s pattern changing throughout the story?
How does the story address the theme of loneliness and isolation?
What is the symbolism behind the locked door in the narrator’s room?
How does the story depict the narrator’s struggle for agency?
What effect does the use of first-person narration have on the reader’s understanding of the story?
How does the story challenge societal norms and expectations surrounding mental health?

These reading questions for “The Yellow Wallpaper” are designed to stimulate critical thinking and encourage a deeper analysis of the story’s themes and symbolism. By engaging with these questions, readers can gain a more profound understanding of the complexities within the narrative and appreciate the significance of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s work.

The Yellow Wallpaper

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General Education

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s classic short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" tells the story of a young woman’s gradual descent into psychosis. " The Yellow Wallpaper" is often cited as an early feminist work that predates a woman’s right to vote in the United States. The author was involved in first-wave feminism, and her other works questioned the origins of the subjugation of women, particularly in marriage. "

The Yellow Wallpaper" is a widely read work that asks difficult questions about the role of women, particularly regarding their mental health and right to autonomy and self-identity. We’ll go over The Yellow Wallpaper summary, themes and symbols, The Yellow Wallpaper analysis, and some important information about the author.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Summary

"The Yellow Wallpaper" details the deterioration of a woman's mental health while she is on a "rest cure" on a rented summer country estate with her family. Her obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom marks her descent into psychosis from her depression throughout the story.

The narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" begins the story by discussing her move to a beautiful estate for the summer. Her husband, John, is also her doctor , and the move is meant in part to help the narrator overcome her “illness,” which she explains as nervous depression, or nervousness, following the birth of their baby. John’s sister, Jennie, also lives with them and works as their housekeeper.

Though her husband believes she will get better with rest and by not worrying about anything, the narrator has an active imagination and likes to write . He discourages her wonder about the house, and dismisses her interests. She mentions her baby more than once, though there is a nurse that cares for the baby, and the narrator herself is too nervous to provide care.

The narrator and her husband move into a large room that has ugly, yellow wallpaper that the narrator criticizes. She asks her husband if they can change rooms and move downstairs, and he rejects her. The more she stays in the room, the more the narrator’s fascination with the hideous wallpaper grows.

After hosting family for July 4th, the narrator expresses feeling even worse and more exhausted. She struggles to do daily activities, and her mental state is deteriorating. John encourages her to rest more, and the narrator hides her writing from him because he disapproves.

In the time between July 4th and their departure, the narrator is seemingly driven insane by the yellow wallpaper ; she sleeps all day and stays up all night to stare at it, believing that it comes alive, and the patterns change and move. Then, she begins to believe that there is a woman in the wallpaper who alters the patterns and is watching her.

A few weeks before their departure, John stays overnight in town and the narrator wants to sleep in the room by herself so she can stare at the wallpaper uninterrupted. She locks out Jennie and believes that she can see the woman in the wallpaper . John returns and frantically tries to be let in, and the narrator refuses; John is able to enter the room and finds the narrator crawling on the floor. She claims that the woman in the wallpaper has finally exited, and John faints, much to her surprise.

Background on "The Yellow Wallpaper"

The author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, was a lecturer for social reform, and her beliefs and philosophy play an important part in the creation of "The Yellow Wallpaper," as well as the themes and symbolism in the story. "The Yellow Wallpaper" also influenced later feminist writers.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, known as Charlotte Perkins Stetsman while she was married to her first husband, was born in Hartford, CT in 1860. Young Charlotte was observed as being bright, but her mother wasn’t interested in her education, and Charlotte spent lots of time in the library.

Charlotte married Charles Stetsman in 1884, and her daughter was born in 1885. She suffered from serious postpartum depression after giving birth to their daughter, Katharine. Her battle with postpartum depression and the doctors she dealt with during her illness inspired her to write "The Yellow Wallpaper."

The couple separated in 1888, the year that Perkins Gilman wrote her first book, Art Gems for the Home and Fireside. She later wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" in 1890, while she was in a relationship with Adeline Knapp, and living apart from her legal husband. "The Yellow Wallpaper" was published in 1892, and in 1893 she published a book of satirical poetry , In This Our World, which gained her fame.

Eventually, Perkins Gilman got officially divorced from Stetsman, and ended her relationship with Knapp. She married her cousin, Houghton Gilman, and claimed to be satisfied in the marriage .

Perkins Gilman made a living as a lecturer on women’s issues, labor issues, and social reform . She toured Europe and the U.S. as a lecturer, and founded her own magazine, The Forerunner.

Publication

"The Yellow Wallpaper" was first published in January 1892 in New England Magazine.

During Perkins Gilman's lifetime, the role of women in American society was heavily restricted both socially and legally. At the time of its publication, women were still twenty-six years away from gaining the right to vote .

This viewpoint on women as childish and weak meant that they were discouraged from having any control over their lives. Women were encouraged or forced to defer to their husband’s opinions in all aspects of life , including financially, socially, and medically. Writing itself was revolutionary, since it would create a sense of identity, and was thought to be too much for the naturally fragile women.

Women's health was a particularly misunderstood area of medicine, as women were viewed as nervous, hysterical beings, and were discouraged from doing anything to further “upset” them. The prevailing wisdom of the day was that rest would cure hysteria, when in reality the constant boredom and lack of purpose likely worsened depression .

Perkins Gilman used her own experience in her first marriage and postpartum depression as inspiration for The Yellow Wallpaper, and illustrates how a woman’s lack of autonomy is detrimental to her mental health.

Upon its publication, Perkins Gilman sent a copy of "The Yellow Wallpaper" to the doctor who prescribed her the rest cure for her postpartum depression.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Characters

Though there are only a few characters in the story, they each have an important role. While the story is about the narrator’s mental deterioration, the relationships in her life are essential for understanding why and how she got to this point.

The Narrator

The narrator of the story is a young, upper-middle-class woman. She is imaginative and a natural writer, though she is discouraged from exploring this part of herself. She is a new mother and is thought to have “hysterical tendencies” or suffer from nervousness. Her name may be Jane but it is unclear.

John is the narrator’s husband and her physician. He restricts her activity as a part of her treatment. John is extremely practical, and belittles the narrator's imagination and feelings . He seems to care about her well-being, but believes he knows what is best for her and doesn't allow her input.

Jennie is John’s sister, who works as a housekeeper for the couple. Jennie seems concerned for the narrator, as indicated by her offer to sleep in the yellow wallpapered room with her. Jennie seems content with her domestic role .

Main Themes of "The Yellow Wallpaper"

From what we know about the author of this story and from interpreting the text, there are a few themes that are clear from a "Yellow Wallpaper" analysis. "The Yellow Wallpaper" was a serious piece of literature that addressed themes pertinent to women.

Women's Role in Marriage

Women were expected to be subordinate to their husbands and completely obedient, as well as take on strictly domestic roles inside the home . Upper middle class women, like the narrator, may go for long periods of time without even leaving the home. The story reveals that this arrangement had the effect of committing women to a state of naïveté, dependence, and ignorance.

John assumes he has the right to determine what’s best for his wife, and this authority is never questioned. He belittles her concerns, both concrete and the ones that arise as a result of her depression , and is said so brush her off and “laugh at her” when she speaks through, “this is to be expected in marriage” He doesn’t take her concerns seriously, and makes all the decisions about both of their lives.

As such, she has no say in anything in her life, including her own health, and finds herself unable to even protest.

Perkins Gilman, like many others, clearly disagreed with this state of things, and aimed to show the detrimental effects that came to women as a result of their lack of autonomy.

Identity and Self-Expression

Throughout the story, the narrator is discouraged from doing the things she wants to do and the things that come naturally to her, like writing. On more than one occasion, she hurries to put her journal away because John is approaching .

She also forces herself to act as though she’s happy and satisfied, to give the illusion that she is recovering, which is worse. She wants to be a good wife, according to the way the role is laid out for her, but struggles to conform especially with so little to actually do.

The narrator is forced into silence and submission through the rest cure, and desperately needs an intellectual and emotional outlet . However, she is not granted one and it is clear that this arrangement takes a toll.

The Rest Cure

The rest cure was commonly prescribed during this period of history for women who were “nervous.” Perkins Gilman has strong opinions about the merits of the rest cure , having been prescribed it herself. John’s insistence on the narrator getting “air” constantly, and his insistence that she do nothing that requires mental or physical stimulation is clearly detrimental.

The narrator is also discouraged from doing activities, whether they are domestic- like cleaning or caring for her baby- in addition to things like reading, writing, and exploring the grounds of the house. She is stifled and confined both physically and mentally, which only adds to her condition .

Perkins Gilman damns the rest cure in this story, by showing the detrimental effects on women, and posing that women need mental and physical stimulation to be healthy, and need to be free to make their own decisions over health and their lives.

The Yellow Wallpaper Analysis: Symbols and Symbolism

Symbols are a way for the author to give the story meaning, and provide clues as to the themes and characters. There are two major symbols in "The Yellow Wallpaper."

The Yellow Wallpaper

This is of course the most important symbol in the story. The narrator is immediately fascinated and disgusted by the yellow wallpaper, and her understanding and interpretation fluctuates and intensifies throughout the story.

The narrator, because she doesn’t have anything else to think about or other mental stimulation, turns to the yellow wallpaper as something to analyze and interpret. The pattern eventually comes into focus as bars, and then she sees a woman inside the pattern . This represents feeling trapped.

At the end of the story, the narrator believes that the woman has come out of the wallpaper. This indicates that the narrator has finally merged fully into her psychosis , and become one with the house and domesticated discontent.

Though Jennie doesn’t have a major role in the story, she does present a foil to the narrator. Jennie is John’s sister and their housekeeper, and she is content, or so the narrator believes, to live a domestic life. Though she does often express her appreciation for Jennie’s presence in her home, she is clearly made to feel guilty by Jennie’s ability to run the household unencumbered .

Irony in The Yellow Wallpaper

"The Yellow Wallpaper" makes good use of dramatic and situational irony. Dramatic literary device in which the reader knows or understands things that the characters do not. Situational irony is when the character’s actions are meant to do one thing, but actually do another. Here are a few examples.

For example, when the narrator first enters the room with the yellow wallpaper, she believes it to be a nursery . However, the reader can clearly see that the room could have just as easily been used to contain a mentally unstable person.

The best example of situational irony is the way that John continues to prescribe the rest-cure, which worsens the narrator's state significantly. He encourages her to lie down after meals and sleep more, which causes her to be awake and alert at night, when she has time to sit and evaluate the wallpaper.

The Yellow Wallpaper Summary

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is one of the defining works of feminist literature. Writing about a woman’s health, mental or physical, was considered a radical act at the time that Perkins Gilman wrote this short story. Writing at all about the lives of women was considered at best, frivolous, and at worst dangerous. When you take a look at The Yellow Wallpaper analysis, the story is an important look into the role of women in marriage and society, and it will likely be a mainstay in the feminist literary canon.

What's Next?

Looking for more expert guides on literary classics? Read our guides on The Cask of Amontillado and The Great Gatsby .

Need important and interesting quotes? Check out these 18 To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes and 9 Great Mark Twain Quotes .

For help analyzing literature and writing essays , read our expert guide on imagery , literary elements , and writing an argumentative essay .

Carrie holds a Bachelors in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College, and is currently pursuing an MFA. She worked in book publishing for several years, and believes that books can open up new worlds. She loves reading, the outdoors, and learning about new things.

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The Yellow Wallpaper

The yellow wallpaper ~ symbols, what is the counteragument, why is the house standing empty after so many years, 8. throughout the story, the narrator uses the word “creep” and “creeping” to describe the wallpaper figure’s movements. what does this word choice suggest about the narrator, 6. how does the story’s narrative form contribute to the development of the narrator’s point of view, which of the following best summarizes a central idea of the text, what is the central idea of the text, why is she not able to make a “very good case for [her]self” ., the yellow wallpaper , in the yellow wallpaper what does this extract reveal about the nature of husband-wife relationship during the 19th century, do you agree or disagree that the narrator's wouldn't have gone crazy if she hadn't been locked in the nursery, the yellow wallpaper, which of the following best summarizes a central idea or the text, in the context of this story, what did it mean to be a woman in 19th century america, what meaning do you think the story communicates, what role is the narrator expected to play in this story by the male characters, part b: what effect does the resolution have on the overall meaning of the passage, the narrator says, “personally, i believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. but what is one to do” (p. 648) as well as “i cry at nothing, and cry most of the time…i determine for the thousandth time that i will follow th, what is john’s sister jenny’s role in the household how do the narrator’s feelings about jenny shift over the course of the story keyboard shortcuts, what best describes the relationship between the narrator and john.

A Summary and Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, has the structure and style of a diary. This is in keeping with what the female narrator tells us: that she can only write down her experiences when her husband John is not around, since he has forbidden her to write until she is well again, believing it will overexcite her.

Through a series of short instalments, we learn more about the narrator’s situation, and her treatment at the hands of her doctor husband and her sister-in-law.

To summarise the story, then: the narrator and her husband John, a doctor, have come to stay at a large country house. As the story develops, we realise that the woman’s husband has brought her to the house in order to try to cure her of her mental illness (he has told her that repairs are being carried out on their home, which is why they have had to relocate to a mansion).

His solution, or treatment, is effectively to lock her away from everyone – including her own family, except for him – and to forbid her anything that might excite her, such as writing. (She writes her account of what happens to her, and the effect it has on her, in secret, hiding her pen and paper when her husband or his sister come into the room.)

John’s suggested treatment for his wife also extends to relieving her of maternal duties: their baby is taken out of her hands and looked after by John’s sister, Jennie. Jennie also does all of the cooking and housework.

It becomes clear, as the story develops, that depriving the female narrator of anything to occupy her mind is making her mental illness worse, not better.

The narrator confides that she cannot even cry in her husband’s company, or when anyone else is present, because that will be interpreted as a sign that her condition is worsening – and her husband has promised (threatened?) to send her to another doctor, Weir Mitchell, if her condition doesn’t show signs of improving. And according to a female friend who has been treated by him, Weir Mitchell is like her husband and brother ‘only more so’ (i.e. stricter).

The narrator then outlines in detail how she sometimes sits for hours on end in her room, tracing the patterns in the yellow wallpaper. She then tells us she thinks she can see a woman ‘stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern.’ At this point, she changes her mind, and goes from being fond of the pattern in the yellow wallpaper to wishing she could go away from the place.

She tells John that she isn’t getting any better in this house and that she would like to leave, but he tells her she is looking healthier and that they cannot return home for another three weeks, until their lease is up and the ‘repairs’ at home have been completed.

Despondent, the narrator tells us how she is becoming more obsessed by the yellow wallpaper, especially at night when she is unable to sleep and so lies awake watching the pattern in the wallpaper, which she says resembles a fungus.

She starts to fear her husband. She becomes paranoid that her husband and sister-in-law, Jennie, are trying to decipher the pattern in the yellow wallpaper, and she becomes determined to beat them to it. (Jennie was actually checking the wallpaper because the thought it was staining their clothes; this is the reason she gives to the narrator when asked about it, anyway. However, the more likely reason is that she and John have noticed the narrator’s obsession with looking at the wallpaper, and are becoming concerned.)

Next, the narrator tells us she has noticed the strange smell of the wallpaper, and tells us she seriously considered burning down the house to try to solve the mystery of what she smell was. She concludes that it is simply ‘a yellow smell!’ We now realise that the narrator is losing her mind rather badly.

She becomes convinced that the ‘woman behind’ the yellow wallpaper is shaking it, thus moving the front pattern of the paper. She says she has seen this woman creeping about the grounds of the house during the day; she returns to behind the wallpaper at night.

The narrator then tells us that she believes John and Jennie have become ‘affected’ by the wallpaper – that they are losing their minds from being exposed to it. So the narrator begins stripping the yellow wallpaper from the walls, much to the consternation of Jennie. John has all of his wife’s things moved out of the room, ready for them to leave the house. While John is out, the narrator locks herself inside the now bare room and throws the key out the window, so she cannot be disturbed.

She has become convinced that there are many creeping women roaming the grounds of the house, all of them originating from behind the yellow wallpaper, and that she is one of them. The story ends with her husband banging on the door to be let in, fetching the key when she tells him it’s down by the front door mat, and bursting into the room – whereupon he faints, at the sight of his wife creeping around the room.

That concludes a summary of the ‘plot’ of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’. But what does it all mean?

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ begins by dangling the idea that what we are about to read is a haunted house story, a Gothic tale, a piece of horror. Why else, wonders the story’s female narrator, would the house be available so cheaply unless it was haunted? And why had it remained unoccupied for so long? This is how many haunted house tales begin.

And this will turn out to be true, in many ways – the story is often included in anthologies of horror fiction, and there is a ‘haunting’ of a kind going on in the story – but as ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ develops we realise we’re reading something far more unsettling than a run-of-the-mill haunted house story, because the real ghosts and demons are either inside the narrator’s troubled mind or else her own husband and her sister-in-law.

Of course, these two things are linked. Because one of the ‘morals’ of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ – if ‘moral’ is not too strong a word to use of such a story – is that the husband’s treatment of his wife’s mental illness only succeeds in making her worse , rather than better, until her condition reaches the point where she is completely mad, suffering from hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. So ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is a haunted house story … but the only ghosts are inside the narrator’s head.

‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ borrows familiar tropes from a Gothic horror story – it ends with the husband taking an axe to the bedroom door where his cowering wife is imprisoned – but the twist is that, by the end of the story, she has imprisoned herself in her deluded belief that she is protecting her husband from the ‘creeping women’ from behind the wallpaper, and he is prepared to beat down the door with an axe out of genuine concern for his sick wife, rather than to butcher her, in the style of Bluebeard or Jack Torrance.

Narrative Style

As we mentioned at the beginning of this analysis, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ has the structure and style of a diary. This is in keeping with what the female narrator tells us: that she can only write down her experiences when her husband John is not around. But it also has the effect of shifting the narrative tense: from the usual past tense to the more unusual present tense.

Only one year separates ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ from George Egerton’s first volume of short stories , which made similarly pioneering use of present-tense narration in order to depict female consciousness.

The literary critic Ruth Robbins has made the argument that the past tense (or ‘perfect tense’) is unsuited to some modes of fiction because it offers the ‘perspective that leads to judgment’: because events have already occurred, we feel in a position to judge the characters involved.

Present-tense narration deters us from doing this so readily, for two reasons. First, we are thrown in amongst the events, experiencing them as they happen almost, so we feel complicit in them. Second, because things are still unfolding seemingly before our very eyes, we feel that to attempt to pass judgment on what’s happening would be too rash and premature: we don’t know for sure how things are going to play out yet.

Given that Gilman is writing about a mentally unstable woman being mistreated by her male husband (and therefore, given his profession, by the medical world too), her decision to plunge us headlong into the events of the story encourages us to listen to what the narrator is telling us before we attempt to pronounce on what’s going on.

The fact that ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is narrated in the first person, from the woman’s own perspective and in her own voice, is also a factor: the only access we have to her treatment (or mistreatment) and to her husband’s behaviour and personality is through her: what she tells us and how she tells it to us.

But there is another narrative advantage to this present-tense diary structure: we as readers are forced to appraise everything we are told by the narrator, and scrutinise it carefully, deciding whether we are being told the whole story or whether the narrator, in her nervous and unstable state, may not be seeing things as they really are.

A good example of this is when, having told us at length how she follows the patterns on the yellow wallpaper on the walls of her room, sometimes for hours on end, the narrator then tells us she is glad her baby doesn’t have to live in the same room, because someone as ‘impressionable’ as her child wouldn’t do well in such a room.

The dramatic irony which the narrator cannot see but which we, tragically, can, is that she is every bit as impressionable as a small child, and the yellow wallpaper – and, more broadly, her effective incarceration – is clearly having a deleterious effect on her mental health. (The story isn’t perfect: Gilman telegraphs the irony a little too strongly when, in the next breath, she has her narrator tell us, with misplaced confidence, ‘I can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see.’)

In the last analysis, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is so unsettling because it plays with established Gothic horror conventions and then subverts them in order to expose the misguided medical practices used in an attempt to ‘treat’ or ‘cure’ women who are suffering from mental or nervous disorders. It has become a popular feminist text about the male mistreatment of women partly because the ‘villain’, the narrator’s husband John, is acting out of a genuine (if hubristic) belief that he knows what’s best for her.

The whole field of nineteenth-century patriarchal society and the way it treats women thus comes under scrutiny, in a story that is all the more powerful for refusing to preach, even while it lets one such mistreated woman speak for herself.

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10 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’”

I absolutely loved this story. read it a few times in a row when I first crossed paths with it a few years ago –

“The Yellow Wallpaper” remains one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. Excellent analysis!

Fantastic book.

I cringe every time this story appears on a reading list or in a curriculum textbook. It’s almost hysterical in tone and quite disturbing in how overstated the “abuse” of the wife is supposed to be. It’s right up there with “The Awakening” as feminist literature that hinders, instead of promoting, the dilemma of 19th century women.

How is it overstated?

To witness the woman’s unraveling and how ignored she is, to me, a profound statement how people with emotional distress are not treated with respect.

Pingback: ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’: A Summary of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Story – Interesting Literature

Terrific analysis. Gothic fiction is always open to many forms of reading and particularly for feminist reading – as openly presented by Angela Carter’ neo-gothic stories (which I would love to read your analyses of one day Oliver!). ‘the Yellow Wallpaper’ I think is the go-to story for most feminist commentators on Gothic fiction – and rightly so. I can’t help notice the connections between this story and the (mis)treatments of Sigmund Freud. Soooo much in this story to think about that I feel like a kiddie in sweet shop!

Thank you as always, Ken, for the thoughtful comment – and I completely agree about the links with Freud. The 1890s really was a pioneering age for psychiatric treatment/analysis, though we cringe at some of the ideas that were seriously considered (and put into practice). Oddly enough I’ve just been rearranging the pile of books on the floor of my study here at IL Towers, and The Bloody Chamber is near the top of my list of books to cover in due course!

I will wait with abated breath for your thoughts! I love Angela Carter :)

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“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Critical Analysis

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in 1892 in the New England Magazine, was later included in a collection of Gilman’s works called In This Our World in 1893.

Introduction: “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Table of Contents

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in 1892 in the New England Magazine , was later included in a collection of Gilman’s works called In This Our World in 1893. The story features a narrator who is struggling with what her husband believes is a nervous disorder, and he has taken her to a rented summer home where she is forbidden from working or stimulating herself in any way. The narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room, which she despises, and begins to see a woman trapped inside its pattern. The story is a powerful critique of the patriarchal medical profession and the oppression of women during the late 19th century. Its features include a first-person narrative, symbolism, and a sense of claustrophobia and desperation that builds towards a tragic conclusion.

Main Events in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Introduction to the Setting and Characters
The narrator, along with her husband John, secure a colonial mansion for the summer.
John, a physician, dismisses the narrator’s illness as mere nervous depression.
Description of the Mansion
The mansion is isolated, with a beautiful but eerie garden, and has been empty for years.
The narrator senses something strange about the house.
Initial Observations and Discomfort
The narrator expresses dislike for their room, especially the ghastly yellow wallpaper.
She feels trapped by John’s control over her schedule and activities.
Analysis of the Wallpaper
The wallpaper is described as revolting, with a pattern that changes in the light.
The narrator starts to see a woman trapped behind the pattern and becomes fixated on it.
Deterioration of the Narrator’s Mental State
The narrator’s mental state deteriorates as she becomes obsessed with the wallpaper.
She feels increasingly isolated and begins to distrust John and the housekeeper, Jennie.
Attempts to Confront John
The narrator tries to communicate her distress to John, but he dismisses her concerns.
She becomes fearful of John and suspects he may be affected by the wallpaper as well.
Discovery and Liberation
The narrator discovers a woman creeping behind the wallpaper and believes she must free her.
She peels off the wallpaper in a fit of liberation and decides to confront John.
Climax and Resolution
The narrator locks herself in the room, determined to confront John when he returns.
She feels triumphant in her act of defiance and eagerly awaits John’s reaction.

Literary Devices in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Characterization in “the yellow wallpaper” by charlotte perkins gilman, major characters.

The Narrator: An unnamed woman with a rich inner life and intellectual curiosity. She suffers from what her physician husband John diagnoses as “temporary nervous depression” or “a slight hysterical tendency.” John dismisses her concerns about her mental health and the unsettling effect of the yellow wallpaper, which she feels is contributing to her condition. Confined to the upstairs nursery for a supposed “rest cure,” the narrator becomes increasingly frustrated and isolated. With limited outlets for her thoughts and feelings, the yellow wallpaper becomes an all-consuming obsession.
John: The narrator’s husband and a physician. John dismisses his wife’s concerns about her health and the unsettling effect of the wallpaper. He believes he is taking the best course of action by enforcing “rest” and disregarding her anxieties. John’s controlling and dismissive behavior contributes to the narrator’s mental decline.

Minor Characters

John’s Brother: Another physician who readily agrees with John’s diagnosis of the narrator’s condition, demonstrating the limitations of the medical field at the time.
Mary: The baby’s caretaker. The narrator seems to find comfort and trust in Mary’s kindness and competence.
Baby: The narrator and John’s child. The narrator expresses relief that the baby does not have to occupy the room with the yellow wallpaper.
Mother & Nellie: John’s mother and sister who visit the narrator for a week. Their presence likely restricts the narrator’s freedom and reinforces John’s control.
Jennie: The maid who helps take care of the narrator. The narrator becomes suspicious of Jennie’s behavior in relation to the wallpaper, hinting at the narrator’s growing paranoia.
Cousin Henry & Julia: The narrator’s relatives whom she expresses a desire to visit. John discourages this visit, further isolating the narrator and suggesting his desire to maintain complete control over her.

Major Themes in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Suffocating Effects of Patriarchy : The story critiques the limitations placed on women in 19th-century society. The narrator’s unnamed state reflects her lack of agency. John, her husband and physician, dismisses her concerns about her health and confines her to a room with the justification of a “rest cure,” a common but harmful treatment for women’s “nervous conditions” at the time. This enforced idleness fuels her descent into madness, highlighting the societal expectation for women to be passive and submissive.
Confinement and the Loss of Self: The yellow wallpaper becomes a symbol of the narrator’s entrapment. Initially, she describes it as “gross, uneven paper” with “odor of stale dead wood” (emphasis added). As her mental state deteriorates, the wallpaper takes on a life of its own, with its “repellent” yellow color and strange pattern seeming to crawl and pulsate. The narrator’s obsession with peeling back the layers of the wallpaper reflects her desperate attempt to break free from her confined existence.
The Power of Imagination and Perception: The story explores the blurring lines between reality and perception. John dismisses the narrator’s anxieties about the wallpaper as mere “fancy,” but the reader experiences the story through her increasingly unreliable narration. As the lines between reality and delusion blur, the wallpaper transforms into a monstrous entity that the narrator feels compelled to liberate. This raises questions about the validity of female experience and the power of a stifled imagination to manifest as madness.
The Thin Line Between Sanity and Madness: The story explores the descent into madness through the narrator’s journal entries. Initially, she expresses frustration with her situation and a longing for intellectual stimulation. Over time, her entries become fragmented and cryptic, reflecting her deteriorating mental state. The ending, where the narrator believes she has freed a woman trapped behind the wallpaper, leaves the reader questioning whether she has achieved liberation or succumbed entirely to madness.

Writing Style in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Introspective Narrative Voice:
Example: “I am sitting here at the window now, up in this atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please, save lack of strength.”
Fragmented Prose Reflecting Mental State:
Example: “The front pattern does move, and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it!”
Vivid and Descriptive Language:
Example: “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.”
Symbolism and Allegory:
Example: The wallpaper itself symbolizes the oppressive societal constraints placed upon women during the 19th century, while the protagonist’s obsession with it serves as an allegory for her own mental imprisonment.
Exploration of Gender Roles:
Example: The protagonist’s confinement to the nursery and her husband’s dismissal of her desires to write reflect the restrictive gender roles of the time, highlighting the lack of autonomy afforded to women.
Representation of Mental Illness:
Example: The protagonist’s gradual descent into psychosis, as evidenced by her fixation on the wallpaper and eventual hallucinations, provides a poignant portrayal of mental illness and its impact on individuals.
Engagement with Themes of Autonomy:
Example: The protagonist’s struggle to assert her own agency and autonomy in the face of her husband’s control and societal expectations underscores the theme of personal liberation.

Literary Theories and Interpretation of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Topics, questions, and thesis statements about “the yellow wallpaper” by charlotte perkins gilman, short questions/answers about/on “the yellow wallpaper” by charlotte perkins gilman.

Who is the real prisoner in the story, and why?
While the narrator is physically confined to the upstairs room, the story argues that John, her husband, is the one truly imprisoned. John clings to outdated medical practices and societal expectations, limiting his own intellectual and emotional growth. The narrator, on the other hand, embraces a more fluid and imaginative reality at the story’s end, even if it appears to be madness.
(Reference: John enforces the “rest cure” despite the narrator’s objections. The narrator, by the end, seems to find a strange liberation in her delusion.)
Does the yellow wallpaper actually have a hidden pattern, or is it a figment of the narrator’s imagination?
The story cleverly leaves this ambiguous. The narrator initially describes the wallpaper as having a “tortuous effect on the eye” but later becomes fixated on a hidden pattern that seems to creep and crawl. John dismisses it as her imagination. The lack of a definitive answer allows the reader to explore themes of perception, sanity, and the limitations of relying solely on a patriarchal viewpoint.
(Reference: The narrator describes the wallpaper as “un-patterned” but later becomes convinced of a hidden pattern.)
Is the ending a victory or a descent into madness?
The narrator’s triumphant declaration of finally freeing a woman trapped behind the wallpaper can be interpreted in two ways. On one hand, it suggests a complete break from reality. However, it can also be seen as a symbolic victory. The narrator, by embracing her unconventional perspective, finds a way to challenge the oppressive forces represented by the yellow wallpaper and John’s controlling behavior.
(Reference: The ending has the narrator creeping around the room, believing she has freed a woman trapped behind the wallpaper.)

Literary Works Similar to “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“ The Tell-Tale Heart ” by Edgar Allan Poe – Like “The Yellow Wallpaper,” this short story delves into the psyche of its unreliable narrator, exploring themes of madness and obsession.
“ The Lottery ” by Shirley Jackson – While not directly addressing mental health, “The Lottery” similarly examines the oppressive nature of societal norms and the consequences of blindly adhering to tradition.
“ The Metamorphosis ” by Franz Kafka – This novella, like “The Yellow Wallpaper,” explores themes of alienation and the individual’s struggle against oppressive forces, albeit through a different lens of existentialism.
“ A Rose for Emily ” by William Faulkner – Faulkner’s story, much like Gilman’s, delves into the psychological complexities of its protagonist, exploring themes of isolation, decay, and the impact of societal expectations.
“ The Birthmark ” by Nathaniel Hawthorne – This short story, while focusing more on science and the pursuit of perfection, shares themes of obsession and the consequences of trying to control nature, similar to the themes found in “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Representative Quotations from “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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5.3: Gilman, Charlotte Perkins "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892)

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Heather Ringo & Athena Kashyap
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The Yelllow Wallpaper

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

It is very seldom that mere ordinary people like John and myself secure ancestral halls for the summer.

A colonial mansion, a hereditary estate, I would say a haunted house, and reach the height of romantic felicity—but that would be asking too much of fate!

Still I will proudly declare that there is something queer about it.

Else, why should it be let so cheaply? And why have stood so long untenanted?

John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.

John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.

John is a physician, and perhaps —(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)— perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.

You see, he does not believe I am sick!

And what can one do?

If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?

My brother is also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing.

So I take phosphates or phosphites—whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to “work” until I am well again.

Personally, I disagree with their ideas.

Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good.

But what is one to do?

I did write for a while in spite of them; but it does exhaust me a good deal—having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition.

I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus—but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad.

So I will let it alone and talk about the house.

The most beautiful place! It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village. It makes me think of English places that you read about, for there are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people.

There is a delicious garden! I never saw such a garden—large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them.

There were greenhouses, too, but they are all broken now.

There was some legal trouble, I believe, something about the heirs and co-heirs; anyhow, the place has been empty for years.

That spoils my ghostliness, I am afraid; but I don’t care—there is something strange about the house—I can feel it.

I even said so to John one moonlight evening, but he said what I felt was a draught , and shut the window.

I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes. I’m sure I never used to be so sensitive. I think it is due to this nervous condition.

But John says if I feel so I shall neglect proper self-control; so I take pains to control myself,—before him, at least,—and that makes me very tired.

I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! But John would not hear of it.

He said there was only one window and not room for two beds, and no near room for him if he took another.

He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction.

I have a schedule prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more.

He said we came here solely on my account, that I was to have perfect rest and all the air I could get. “Your exercise depends on your strength, my dear,” said he, “and your food somewhat on your appetite; but air you can absorb all the time.” So we took the nursery, at the top of the house.

It is a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore. It was a nursery first and then playroom and gymnasium, I should judge; for the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls.

The paint and paper look as if a boys’ school had used it. It is stripped off—the paper—in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down. I never saw a worse paper in my life.

One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin.

It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate, and provoke study, and when you follow the lame, uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard-of contradictions.

The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering, unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.

It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others.

No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long.

There comes John, and I must put this away,—he hates to have me write a word.

We have been here two weeks, and I haven’t felt like writing before, since that first day.

I am sitting by the window now, up in this atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please, save lack of strength.

John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious.

I am glad my case is not serious!

But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing.

John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.

Of course it is only nervousness. It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way!

I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!

Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able—to dress and entertain, and order things.

It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby!

And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous.

I suppose John never was nervous in his life. He laughs at me so about this wallpaper!

At first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies.

He said that after the wallpaper was changed it would be the heavy bedstead, and then the barred windows, and then that gate at the head of the stairs, and so on.

“You know the place is doing you good,” he said, “and really, dear, I don’t care to renovate the house just for a three months’ rental.”

“Then do let us go downstairs,” I said, “there are such pretty rooms there.”

Then he took me in his arms and called me a blessed little goose, and said he would go down cellar if I wished, and have it whitewashed into the bargain.

But he is right enough about the beds and windows and things.

It is as airy and comfortable a room as any one need wish, and, of course, I would not be so silly as to make him uncomfortable just for a whim.

I’m really getting quite fond of the big room, all but that horrid paper.

Out of one window I can see the garden, those mysterious deep-shaded arbors, the riotous old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees.

Out of another I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to the estate. There is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house. I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors, but John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least. He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency. So I try.

I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me.

But I find I get pretty tired when I try.

It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work. When I get really well John says we will ask Cousin Henry and Julia down for a long visit; but he says he would as soon put fire-works in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now.

I wish I could get well faster.

But I must not think about that. This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!

There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside-down.

I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness. Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere. There is one place where two breadths didn’t match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other.

I never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before, and we all know how much expression they have! I used to lie awake as a child and get more entertainment and terror out of blank walls and plain furniture than most children could find in a toy-store.

I remember what a kindly wink the knobs of our big old bureau used to have, and there was one chair that always seemed like a strong friend.

I used to feel that if any of the other things looked too fierce I could always hop into that chair and be safe.

The furniture in this room is no worse than inharmonious, however, for we had to bring it all from downstairs. I suppose when this was used as a playroom they had to take the nursery things out, and no wonder! I never saw such ravages as the children have made here.

The wallpaper, as I said before, is torn off in spots, and it sticketh closer than a brother—they must have had perseverance as well as hatred.

Then the floor is scratched and gouged and splintered, the plaster itself is dug out here and there, and this great heavy bed, which is all we found in the room, looks as if it had been through the wars.

But I don’t mind it a bit—only the paper.

There comes John’s sister. Such a dear girl as she is, and so careful of me! I must not let her find me writing.

She is a perfect, and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession. I verily believe she thinks it is the writing which made me sick!

But I can write when she is out, and see her a long way off from these windows.

There is one that commands the road, a lovely, shaded, winding road, and one that just looks off over the country. A lovely country, too, full of great elms and velvet meadows.

This wallpaper has a kind of sub-pattern in a different shade, a particularly irritating one, for you can only see it in certain lights, and not clearly then.

But in the places where it isn’t faded, and where the sun is just so, I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to skulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design.

There’s sister on the stairs!

Well, the Fourth of July is over! The people are gone and I am tired out. John thought it might do me good to see a little company, so we just had mother and Nellie and the children down for a week.

Of course I didn’t do a thing. Jennie sees to everything now.

But it tired me all the same.

John says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in the fall.

But I don’t want to go there at all. I had a friend who was in his hands once, and she says he is just like John and my brother, only more so!

Besides, it is such an undertaking to go so far.

I don’t feel as if it was worth while to turn my hand over for anything, and I’m getting dreadfully fretful and querulous.

I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time.

Of course I don’t when John is here, or anybody else, but when I am alone.

And I am alone a good deal just now. John is kept in town very often by serious cases, and Jennie is good and lets me alone when I want her to.

So I walk a little in the garden or down that lovely lane, sit on the porch under the roses, and lie down up here a good deal.

I’m getting really fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper.

It dwells in my mind so!

I lie here on this great immovable bed—it is nailed down, I believe—and follow that pattern about by the hour. It is as good as gymnastics, I assure you. I start, we’ll say, at the bottom, down in the corner over there where it has not been touched, and I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of a conclusion.

I know a little of the principle of design, and I know this thing was not arranged on any laws of radiation, or alternation, or repetition, or symmetry, or anything else that I ever heard of.

It is repeated, of course, by the breadths, but not otherwise.

Looked at in one way each breadth stands alone, the bloated curves and flourishes—a kind of “debased Romanesque” with delirium tremens —go waddling up and down in isolated columns of fatuity.

But, on the other hand, they connect diagonally, and the sprawling outlines run off in great slanting waves of optic horror, like a lot of wallowing seaweeds in full chase.

The whole thing goes horizontally, too, at least it seems so, and I exhaust myself in trying to distinguish the order of its going in that direction.

They have used a horizontal breadth for a frieze, and that adds wonderfully to the confusion.

There is one end of the room where it is almost intact, and there, when the cross-lights fade and the low sun shines directly upon it, I can almost fancy radiation after all,—the interminable grotesques seem to form around a common center and rush off in headlong plunges of equal distraction.

It makes me tired to follow it. I will take a nap, I guess.

I don’t know why I should write this.

I don’t want to.

I don’t feel able.

And I know John would think it absurd. But I must say what I feel and think in some way—it is such a relief!

But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief.

Half the time now I am awfully lazy, and lie down ever so much.

John says I musn’t lose my strength, and has me take cod-liver oil and lots of tonics and things, to say nothing of ale and wine and rare meat.

Dear John! He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick. I tried to have a real earnest reasonable talk with him the other day, and tell him how I wish he would let me go and make a visit to Cousin Henry and Julia.

But he said I wasn’t able to go, nor able to stand it after I got there; and I did not make out a very good case for myself, for I was crying before I had finished.

It is getting to be a great effort for me to think straight. Just this nervous weakness, I suppose.

And dear John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read to me till it tired my head.

He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well.

He says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me.

There’s one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper.

If we had not used it that blessed child would have! What a fortunate escape! Why, I wouldn’t have a child of mine, an impressionable little thing, live in such a room for worlds.

I never thought of it before, but it is lucky that John kept me here after all. I can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see.

Of course I never mention it to them any more,—I am too wise,—but I keep watch of it all the same.

There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will.

Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day.

It is always the same shape, only very numerous.

And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern. I don’t like it a bit. I wonder—I begin to think—I wish John would take me away from here!

It is so hard to talk with John about my case, because he is so wise, and because he loves me so.

But I tried it last night.

It was moonlight. The moon shines in all around, just as the sun does.

I hate to see it sometimes, it creeps so slowly, and always comes in by one window or another.

John was asleep and I hated to waken him, so I kept still and watched the moonlight on that undulating wallpaper till I felt creepy.

The faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if she wanted to get out.

I got up softly and went to feel and see if the paper did move, and when I came back John was awake.

“What is it, little girl?” he said. “Don’t go walking about like that—you’ll get cold.”

I though it was a good time to talk, so I told him that I really was not gaining here, and that I wished he would take me away.

“Why darling!” said he, “our lease will be up in three weeks, and I can’t see how to leave before.

“The repairs are not done at home, and I cannot possibly leave town just now. Of course if you were in any danger I could and would, but you really are better, dear, whether you can see it or not. I am a doctor, dear, and I know. You are gaining flesh and color, your appetite is better. I feel really much easier about you.”

“I don’t weigh a bit more,” said I, “nor as much; and my appetite may be better in the evening, when you are here, but it is worse in the morning when you are away.”

“Bless her little heart!” said he with a big hug; “she shall be as sick as she pleases! But now let’s improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk about it in the morning!”

“And you won’t go away?” I asked gloomily.

“Why, how can I, dear? It is only three weeks more and then we will take a nice little trip of a few days while Jennie is getting the house ready. Really, dear, you are better!”

“Better in body perhaps”—I began, and stopped short, for he sat up straight and looked at me with such a stern, reproachful look that I could not say another word.

“My darling,” said he, “I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake, as well as for your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind! There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a temperament like yours. It is a false and foolish fancy. Can you not trust me as a physician when I tell you so?”

So of course I said no more on that score, and we went to sleep before long. He thought I was asleep first, but I wasn’t,—I lay there for hours trying to decide whether that front pattern and the back pattern really did move together or separately.

On a pattern like this, by daylight, there is a lack of sequence, a defiance of law, that is a constant irritant to a normal mind.

The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.

You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well under way in following, it turns a back somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream.

The outside pattern is a florid arabesque, reminding one of a fungus. If you can imagine a toadstool in joints, an interminable string of toadstools, budding and sprouting in endless convolutions,—why, that is something like it.

That is, sometimes!

There is one marked peculiarity about this paper, a thing nobody seems to notice but myself, and that is that it changes as the light changes.

When the sun shoots in through the east window—I always watch for that first long, straight ray—it changes so quickly that I never can quite believe it.

That is why I watch it always.

By moonlight—the moon shines in all night when there is a moon—I wouldn’t know it was the same paper.

At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the woman behind it is as plain as can be.

I didn’t realize for a long time what the thing was that showed behind,—that dim sub-pattern,—but now I am quite sure it is a woman.

By daylight she is subdued, quiet. I fancy it is the pattern that keeps her so still. It is so puzzling. It keeps me quiet by the hour.

I lie down ever so much now. John says it is good for me, and to sleep all I can.

Indeed, he started the habit by making me lie down for an hour after each meal.

It is a very bad habit, I am convinced, for, you see, I don’t sleep.

And that cultivates deceit, for I don’t tell them I’m awake,—oh, no!

The fact is, I am getting a little afraid of John.

He seems very queer sometimes, and even Jennie has an inexplicable look.

It strikes me occasionally, just as a scientific hypothesis, that perhaps it is the paper!

I have watched John when he did not know I was looking, and come into the room suddenly on the most innocent excuses, and I’ve caught him several times looking at the paper! And Jennie too. I caught Jennie with her hand on it once.

She didn’t know I was in the room, and when I asked her in a quiet, a very quiet voice, with the most restrained manner possible, what she was doing with the paper she turned around as if she had been caught stealing, and looked quite angry—asked me why I should frighten her so!

Then she said that the paper stained everything it touched, that she had found yellow smooches on all my clothes and John’s, and she wished we would be more careful!

Did not that sound innocent? But I know she was studying that pattern, and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself!

Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be. You see I have something more to expect, to look forward to, to watch. I really do eat better, and am more quiet than I was.

John is so pleased to see me improve! He laughed a little the other day, and said I seemed to be flourishing in spite of my wallpaper.

I turned it off with a laugh. I had no intention of telling him it was because of the wallpaper—he would make fun of me. He might even want to take me away.

I don’t want to leave now until I have found it out. There is a week more, and I think that will be enough.

I’m feeling ever so much better! I don’t sleep much at night, for it is so interesting to watch developments; but I sleep a good deal in the daytime.

In the daytime it is tiresome and perplexing.

There are always new shoots on the fungus, and new shades of yellow all over it. I cannot keep count of them, though I have tried conscientiously.

It is the strangest yellow, that wallpaper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever saw—not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things.

But there is something else about that paper—the smell! I noticed it the moment we came into the room, but with so much air and sun it was not bad. Now we have had a week of fog and rain, and whether the windows are open or not, the smell is here.

It creeps all over the house.

I find it hovering in the dining-room, skulking in the parlor, hiding in the hall, lying in wait for me on the stairs.

It gets into my hair.

Even when I go to ride, if I turn my head suddenly and surprise it—there is that smell!

Such a peculiar odor, too! I have spent hours in trying to analyze it, to find what it smelled like.

It is not bad—at first, and very gentle, but quite the subtlest, most enduring odor I ever met.

In this damp weather it is awful. I wake up in the night and find it hanging over me.

It used to disturb me at first. I thought seriously of burning the house—to reach the smell.

But now I am used to it. The only thing I can think of that it is like is the color of the paper! A yellow smell.

There is a very funny mark on this wall, low down, near the mopboard. A streak that runs round the room. It goes behind every piece of furniture, except the bed, a long, straight, even smooch , as if it had been rubbed over and over.

I wonder how it was done and who did it, and what they did it for. Round and round and round—round and round and round—it makes me dizzy!

I really have discovered something at last.

Through watching so much at night, when it changes so, I have finally found out.

The front pattern does move—and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it!

Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over.

Then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard.

And she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody could climb through that pattern—it strangles so; I think that is why it has so many heads.

They get through, and then the pattern strangles them off and turns them upside-down, and makes their eyes white!

If those heads were covered or taken off it would not be half so bad.

I think that woman gets out in the daytime!

And I’ll tell you why—privately—I’ve seen her!

I can see her out of every one of my windows!

It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight.

I see her on that long shaded lane, creeping up and down. I see her in those dark grape arbors, creeping all around the garden.

I see her on that long road under the trees, creeping along, and when a carriage comes she hides under the blackberry vines.

I don’t blame her a bit. It must be very humiliating to be caught creeping by daylight!

I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I can’t do it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once.

And John is so queer now, that I don’t want to irritate him. I wish he would take another room! Besides, I don’t want anybody to get that woman out at night but myself.

I often wonder if I could see her out of all the windows at once.

But, turn as fast as I can, I can only see out of one at one time.

And though I always see her she may be able to creep faster than I can turn!

I have watched her sometimes away off in the open country, creeping as fast as a cloud shadow in a high wind.

If only that top pattern could be gotten off from the under one! I mean to try it, little by little.

I have found out another funny thing, but I shan’t tell it this time! It does not do to trust people too much.

There are only two more days to get this paper off, and I believe John is beginning to notice. I don’t like the look in his eyes.

And I heard him ask Jennie a lot of professional questions about me. She had a very good report to give.

She said I slept a good deal in the daytime.

John knows I don’t sleep very well at night, for all I’m so quiet!

He asked me all sorts of questions, too, and pretended to be very loving and kind.

As if I couldn’t see through him!

Still, I don’t wonder he acts so, sleeping under this paper for three months.

It only interests me, but I feel sure John and Jennie are secretly affected by it.

Hurrah! This is the last day, but it is enough. John is to stay in town over night, and won’t be out until this evening.

Jennie wanted to sleep with me—the sly thing! but I told her I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone.

That was clever, for really I wasn’t alone a bit! As soon as it was moonlight, and that poor thing began to crawl and shake the pattern, I got up and ran to help her.

I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before morning we had peeled off yards of that paper.

A strip about as high as my head and half around the room.

And then when the sun came and that awful pattern began to laugh at me I declared I would finish it to-day!

We go away to-morrow, and they are moving all my furniture down again to leave things as they were before.

Jennie looked at the wall in amazement, but I told her merrily that I did it out of pure spite at the vicious thing.

She laughed and said she wouldn’t mind doing it herself, but I must not get tired.

How she betrayed herself that time!

But I am here, and no person touches this paper but me—not alive!

She tried to get me out of the room—it was too patent! But I said it was so quiet and empty and clean now that I believed I would lie down again and sleep all I could; and not to wake me even for dinner—I would call when I woke.

So now she is gone, and the servants are gone, and the things are gone, and there is nothing left but that great bedstead nailed down, with the canvas mattress we found on it.

We shall sleep downstairs to-night, and take the boat home to-morrow.

I quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again.

How those children did tear about here!

This bedstead is fairly gnawed!

But I must get to work.

I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path.

I don’t want to go out, and I don’t want to have anybody come in, till John comes.

I want to astonish him.

I’ve got a rope up here that even Jennie did not find. If that woman does get out, and tries to get away, I can tie her!

But I forgot I could not reach far without anything to stand on!

This bed will not move!

I tried to lift and push it until I was lame, and then I got so angry I bit off a little piece at one corner—but it hurt my teeth.

Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled heads and bulbous eyes and waddling fungus growths just shriek with derision!

I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try.

Besides I wouldn’t do it. Of course not. I know well enough that a step like that is improper and might be misconstrued.

I don’t like to look out of the windows even—there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast.

I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did?

But I am securely fastened now by my well-hidden rope—you don’t get me out in the road there!

I suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard!

It is so pleasant to be out in this great room and creep around as I please!

I don’t want to go outside. I won’t, even if Jennie asks me to.

For outside you have to creep on the ground, and everything is green instead of yellow.

But here I can creep smoothly on the floor, and my shoulder just fits in that long smooch around the wall, so I cannot lose my way.

Why, there’s John at the door!

It is no use, young man, you can’t open it!

How he does call and pound!

Now he’s crying for an axe.

It would be a shame to break down that beautiful door!

“John dear!” said I in the gentlest voice, “the key is down by the front steps, under a plantain leaf!”

That silenced him for a few moments.

Then he said—very quietly indeed, “Open the door, my darling!”

“I can’t,” said I. “The key is down by the front door under a plantain leaf!”

And then I said it again, several times, very gently and slowly, and said it so often that he had to go and see, and he got it, of course, and came in. He stopped short by the door.

“What is the matter?” he cried. “For God’s sake, what are you doing!”

I kept on creeping just the same, but I looked at him over my shoulder.

“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!”

Now why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time!

Exercise 5.3.1

1. What is the meaning of the title? Why did Gilman use first person narration? Why is the female protagonist unnamed throughout the text?

2. How would you describe the narrator's voice in this text? How does that voice evolve over the course of the novella? How does the fragmented style of the narrative influence you as a reader?

3. How does Gilman engage with traditional ideas of femininity in this story? What do the house and wallpaper symbolize? What does the woman/women in the wallpaper represent?

4. What is the meaning of the last scene? Has this woman liberated herself from patriarchy as an individual through her madness or has she experienced the ultimate victimization?

5. Gilman was very much an activist writer and authored texts in many different voices (the social scientist, the journalist, the utopian writer, the Gothic writer). What is she advocating in this story? What are the risks of this narrative strategy for a politically-oriented feminist writer?

6. What contemporary issues does "The Yellow Wallpaper" evoke? Why do you think it has become one of the five most popular readings in college courses?

Optional Reading

Readings about the author and literary analysis of the story can be found here .

Contributors and Attributions

Section on questions adapted from Introduction to Women and Gender Studies from MIT Open Courseware, license CC-BY-NC-SA

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The Yellow Wallpaper. Reading Comprehension Questions, Multiple-choice questions

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7 April 2024

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The Yellow Wallpaper. 30 multiple-choice questions (Editable)

The Yellow Wallpaper. 40 Reading Comprehension Questions (Editable)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins, with our comprehensive bundle, combining 40 thought-provoking reading comprehension questions with 30 meticulously crafted multiple-choice questions. Explore the depths of the narrative as you unravel its themes, analyze character motivations, and dissect plot developments with precision. Perfect for educators seeking to enrich their curriculum with rigorous yet accessible assessments, this bundle promises to empower students to critically engage with the text while honing their reading comprehension skills. Whether used for individual assessment, group discussion, or classroom activities, these questions are designed to foster critical thinking and literary exploration among students of all levels. Perfect for literature studies, literature, comprehension, critical thinking, discussion and independent learning and can be used as a test quiz.

Note to Buyers This resource does not contain answer keys. We intentionally designed it this way to encourage students to actively engage with the text and collaborate in finding their own answers. Embrace the opportunity for students to develop critical thinking skills and explore diverse interpretations while working through the comprehension questions

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The Yellow Wallpaper. 40 Reading Comprehension Questions (Editable)

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The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins, through this comprehensive set of 40 thought-provoking reading comprehension questions. Designed to delve deep into the themes, characters, and narrative elements of the story, these questions are meticulously crafted to stimulate critical thinking, foster meaningful discussions, and reinforce comprehension skills. Whether used for individual reflection, group discussions, or assessments, this resource offers educators a valuable tool to guide students through a rich exploration of Glaspell’s compelling narrative. Perfect for literature studies, literature, comprehension, critical thinking, discussion and independent learning

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'The Yellow Wallpaper' Questions for Study
The Yellow Wallpaper is the most famous work by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.She also wrote about why she created this short work in Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper .Students often are asked to read this story in Literature classes--the description is compelling, and the storyline is unforgettable.Here are a few questions for study and discussion related to this famous work.
The Yellow Wallpaper Questions and Answers
Emotional and autobiographical, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman leaves many questions unanswered. We will write a custom essay specifically for you for only 11.00 9.35/page
Best reading questions for the yellow wallpaper
These reading questions for "The Yellow Wallpaper" are designed to stimulate critical thinking and encourage a deeper analysis of the story's themes and symbolism. By engaging with these questions, readers can gain a more profound understanding of the complexities within the narrative and appreciate the significance of Charlotte Perkins ...
The Yellow Wallpaper: Questions & Answers
The question of Jane's identity is one that has occupied critics for decades. Some argue that "Jane" is simply a misprint for "Jennie," meaning that the narrator's final remarks to John are about overcoming both his and his sister's control. A second, arguably more compelling reading is that the narrator's name is Jane and that ...
Discussion Questions for The Yellow Wallpaper
Discussion Questions. 1.) Why have the narrator and her husband, John, rented the "colonial mansion"? What is its history, and what is the reaction of the heroine to this estate? Does she feel comfortable living in the house? 2.) Give a description of John. Why does the heroine say that his profession is " perhaps . . . one reason I do not get ...
The Yellow Wallpaper Questions and Answers
Get an answer instantly from Prospero, our cutting-edge AI trained on our vast collection of literary and educational content. For best results, provide good context clues, such as the title and ...
The Yellow Wallpaper: Critical Response
Critical Response. Charlotte Perkins Gilman may be most well-known for writing and publishing "The Yellow Wallpaper" in 1892, but the short story endured a turbulent critical history before becoming a classic addition to literature courses. The story, which Gilman initially wrote to share her experience of suffering under the demands of the ...
The Yellow Wallpaper. 40 Reading Comprehension Questions (Editable)
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins, through this comprehensive set of 40 thought-provoking reading comprehension questions. Designed to delve deep into the themes, characters, and narrative elements of the story, these questions are meticulously crafted to stimulate critical thinking, foster meaningful discussions, and reinforce comprehension skills.
The Yellow Wallpaper Critical Essays
SOURCE: Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" In The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on "The Yellow Wallpaper," edited by Catherine Golden, pp. 51-53. New ...
The Yellow Wallpaper Discussion Questions
The Yellow Wallpaper. Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1892. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. Download PDF.
Understanding The Yellow Wallpaper: Summary and Analysis
The Yellow Wallpaper Summary. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is one of the defining works of feminist literature. Writing about a woman's health, mental or physical, was considered a radical act at the time that Perkins Gilman wrote this short story. Writing at all about the lives of women was considered at best, frivolous, and at worst dangerous.
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Questions
The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Questions. Buy Study Guide. 1. How would "The Yellow Wallpaper" be different if it were told from John's point of view? If the story were told from John's perspective, it would be a much more detached view of the narrator's descent into madness. Although the readers do not know what John thinks, it is clear that he ...
The Yellow Wallpaper Critical Essay Flashcards
The Yellow Wallpaper Critical Essay. "He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction". - The narrator reveals that, in the interest of curing his wife, John takes from her all responsibility for thinking for herself. He treats her as though she suffered a physical illness or injury, but such treatment proves ...
The Yellow Wallpaper Questions and Answers
Why is the house standing empty after so many years? Answers: 1. Asked by Jada S #1339194. Last updated by jill d #170087 2 months ago 3/13/2024 3:27 PM. The Yellow Wallpaper. 8. Throughout the story, the narrator uses the word "creep" and "creeping" to describe the wallpaper figure's movements.
A Summary and Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper'
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) 'The Yellow Wallpaper', an 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, has the structure and style of a diary. This is in keeping with what the female narrator tells us: that she can only write down her experiences when her husband John is not around, since he has forbidden….
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Critical Analysis
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in 1892 in the New England Magazine, was later included in a collection of Gilman's works called In This Our World in 1893. The story features a narrator who is struggling with what her husband believes is a nervous disorder, and he has taken her to a rented summer home where she is forbidden from working or stimulating ...
5.3: Gilman, Charlotte Perkins "The Yellow Wallpaper" (1892)
It is the strangest yellow, that wallpaper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever saw—not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things. But there is something else about that paper—the smell! I noticed it the moment we came into the room, but with so much air and sun it was not bad.
Teaching The Yellow Wallpaper
The entire text of "Teaching The Yellow Wallpaper" with embedded questions aligned to Common Core and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) as well as scaffolding notes and media. ... Actively Learn is the free go-to source to help you guide your students' growth in critical thinking all year. ... "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a 6,000-word short story by the ...
What's a good critical approach to "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
Share Cite. "The Yellow Wallpaper" lends itself to many different analyses, and so it can have more than one critical approach. One significant critical approach is the Psychoanalytic, which would ...
The Yellow Wallpaper Discussion Questions
Questions & Answers. This worksheet includes critical thinking questions about Charlotte Perkin Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper." It also includes a 5 question reading check quiz.
The Yellow Wallpaper. Reading Comprehension Questions, Multiple-choice
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins, with our comprehensive bundle, combining 40 thought-provoking reading comprehension questions with 30 meticulously crafted multiple-choice questions. Explore the depths of the narrative as you unravel its themes, analyze character motivations, and dissect plot developments with precision.
The Yellow Wallpaper. 40 Reading Comprehension Questions (Editable
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins, through this comprehensive set of 40 thought-provoking reading comprehension questions. Designed to delve deep into the themes, characters, and narrative elements of the story, these questions are meticulously crafted to stimulate critical thinking, foster meaningful discussions, and reinforce ...
The Yellow Wallpaper Critical Thinking Questions-1
Philosophy document from Columbus High School, 2 pages, "The Yellow Wallpaper" Critical Thinking Questions (100pts.) Please answer each of the following questions in a paragraph of 4-7 sentences. Additionally, make sure that your answers provide evidence from the text in order to back up your responses. Either

'The Yellow Wallpaper' Questions for Study

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Questions for Study and Discussion:

Study Guide

The Yellow Wallpaper Questions and Answers

❓ The Yellow Wallpaper Q&A

By the fourth of July, what does the narrator admit about the wallpaper?

Why is there a change to the second point of view in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The Yellow Wallpaper: at what point does the narrator go insane?

The Yellow Wallpaper: is John the real villain of the story?

What is the importance of the nurse in The Yellow Wallpaper?

What role does the wallpaper woman play in the story?

“…And there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother”. Explain the quote.

Which gothic element in The Yellow Wallpaper reflects a social attitude of Gilman’s time?

What was Gilman’s most likely reason for sending a copy of her story to her former physician?

What is the theme of The Yellow Wallpaper?

Who is the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper?

Who is Jane in the Yellow Wallpaper?

What is the importance of irony in The Yellow Wallpaper?

What time period is The Yellow Wallpaper set in?

What is the Narrator’s name in The Yellow Wallpaper?

Which excerpt from The Yellow Wallpaper contradicts the Narrator’s belief that she is improving?

Why did John faint in The Yellow Wallpaper?

What does creeping mean in The Yellow Wallpaper?

What event caused the Narrator’s mental illness in The Yellow Wallpaper?

Who is the Woman in The Yellow Wallpaper?

In The Yellow Wallpaper, how does the changing description of the wallpaper reflect the Narrator’s changing character?

Why was the Yellow Wallpaper written?

How does The Yellow Wallpaper end?

What are the best examples of figurative language in The Yellow Wallpaper?

What are the examples of foreshadowing in The Yellow Wallpaper?

Why does the Narrator first dislike the yellow wallpaper?

What does The Yellow Wallpaper’s conclusion mean?

What does the Narrator’s description of the wallpaper reveal about the context of the story?

What happens at the end of The Yellow Wallpaper?

The Yellow Wallpaper: what was the author’s intention?

What is the main conflict in The Yellow Wallpaper?

What does the yellow wallpaper symbolize?

What is The Yellow Wallpaper ending like?

In The Yellow Wallpaper, what was the relationship between the Narrator and her husband?

In The Yellow Wallpaper, the words such as “yellow” and “creeping” change their meanings. Why is it so?

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A Summary and Analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’

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