• “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
  • pp. 317-322 in Physical Book & pp. 585-589 in eBook
  • What made you choose this story over the other? 
  • It just seemed like the perfect choice for me
  • Explain the POV & describe some supporting characters
  • particularly John and Jennie, contribute to the story’s exploration of the societal attitudes toward women’s mental health in the 19th century. The relationships and dynamics among these characters play a crucial role in shaping the narrator’s experiences and ultimately her descent into madness. The story serves as a powerful commentary on the treatment of women and mental illness during that historical period.
  • Is the narrator reliable/unreliable? Why? the narrator to be unreliable, primarily due to her mental state and the progression of her descent into madness throughout the story.
  • What is the major conflict? How is this resolved?
  • The narrator is suffering from what is suggested to be postpartum depression or a similar mental illness. However, her husband, John, who is also her physician, dismisses her concerns and prescribes the “rest cure.” She is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper, forbidden from writing or engaging in any stimulating activities. The conflict is both internal, as the narrator grapples with her deteriorating mental state, and external, as she faces the oppressive treatment imposed upon her. The story does not offer a conventional resolution in the sense of a positive outcome or a clear resolution of the conflict. Instead, the narrative concludes with a disturbing and ambiguous scene. 
  • What were some ideas regarding identity present in this story? 
  • The narrator experiences a gradual loss of her personal identity as she succumbs to the effects of her mental illness. The confinement to the room, the suppression of her writing, and the isolation contribute to her sense of being trapped and stifled.  
  • What personal experience does this story remind you of in your own life?
  • What is the tone of the story? Provide a few specific examples
  • The tone of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a mix of eerie, oppressive, and increasingly frenetic “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.”
  • “I wonder—I begin to think—I wish John would take me away from here!”
  • What actually happens???

discovering her in the room, creeping around the perimeter and declaring that she has “got out.” The final scene is disturbing and open to interpretation, leaving readers to question the nature of the narrator’s madness and the consequences of the prescribed treatment.

• What line/s stood out to you the most?

“The pattern does move, and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it!”

• Would you read more from this author?
• Yes