The Yellow Wallpaper 1 Ward

"The Yellow Wallpaper" deals with the themes of

• Patriarchy and the subjugation of women

• the struggle for women's rights

• the stigma of mental illness

• all of the above

How would you describe the narrator's attitude towards her husband?

• Caring

• Jealous

• Defiant

• Submissive

Which of these is an example of irony in the story?

• The narrator believes the wallpaper is making her better but it is not.

• John is the only person in the house who realizes the wallpaper is dangerous.

• The narrator catches Jennie staring at the wallpaper instead of cleaning.

• The baby exhibits extreme self-control at the moment it is born.

The narrator’s mental illness is most clearly demonstrated in which of the following quotes

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

• 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.

• 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!

• I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did? I suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard!

How does the author’s choice to use 1st person narration create a surprise ending?

• The author shows multiple perspectives except for the narrator's so it is a surprise to hear what she thinks at the end.

• The husband's sudden choice to leave the narrator is unexpected.

• The reader does not know that the narrator is going crazy, but that detail is revealed at the end.

• The abrupt shift in location causes the reader to be surprised by the narrator's actions.

This story is ironic because

• We know information that the other characters don't.

• Sarcasm is used to express the opposite of the literal meaning of the text

• Actions are having the effects opposite of the intended effects.

• the overall mood is creepy.

How does the author’s choice of setting contribute to the plot development?

• The setting is what leads the woman to eventually go insane. She is locked in one room.

• The time period shows us how much freedom women had back then.

• The setting develops the mood of the story.

• The economic status of the maid causes her to commit crimes, driving the plot forward.

The speaker most desires

• a room with chintz hangings
• the opportunity to write
• congenial company
• freedom to follow her own desires

The narrator faces the challenge of…

• Being listened to by the people around her

• Learning to walk again

• Finding the end of the pattern in the wallpaper

• Overcoming the loss of her child

What clues do we have throughout the story that the narrator is slipping further towards a mental breakdown? How does this create suspense?

• The narrator's relationship with her husband reveals her breakdown. Their fights cause suspense.

• The descriptions of the wallpaper become more and more strange over the course of the story. This causes the reader to anticipate her breakdown, causing suspense.

• The plot twist in the middle of the story where her mental illness is revealed creates a feeling of suspense.

• The imagery creates a feeling of suspense.