The Yellow Wallpaper

1. Early on in the story, John laughs at the narrator’s uneasiness about the house they are renting. What is the narrator’s response?

A) She feels belittled and tells him so.

B) She is unsurprised and resigned to being laughed at.

C) She resents his laughter and mentally adds it to her list of marital grievances.

D) She becomes upset and collapses into melodramatic sadness.

2. Which of the following best describes why the narrator’s husband is an impediment to her getting better?

A) He is rarely at home to see her.

B) He is preoccupied with their new baby.

C) His confidence in his authority as a doctor blinds him to her worsening state.

D) He provides her with all that she needs, so she is not motivated to try to get better.

3. Which statement most accurately describes the story’s stance on the “rest cure” pioneered by Weir Mitchell?

A) It should be used only in the most severe cases.

B) It is an inhumane practice that isn’t in the best interest of the patient.

C) It shouldn’t be used for new mothers, who need ready access to their children.

D) It allows patients freedom to recover at their own pace.

4. What significance does the act of writing have for the narrator?

A) It gives her a sense of agency in an extreme situation.

B) It is a burden that she reluctantly endures.

C) It helps her feel more connected to her husband and family.

D) It allows her to escape into a restful fantasy world.

5. What does the narrator misunderstand about her room?

A) She thinks it was once a nursery or playroom.

B) She thinks it was left empty by previous tenants and allowed to go to ruin.

C) She thinks that someone must have died there.

D) She thinks it is servants’ quarters, and she shouldn’t have to stay in it.

6. Which of the following best explains John’s refusal to accommodate the narrator’s request for renovations?

A) He thinks she is being excessively demanding.

B) He believes renovations would impede her recovery.

C) He is worried about the family’s finances.

D) He is too busy with work to put in the effort.

7. How do the detailed, repeated descriptions of the wallpaper help the reader understand the narrator?

A) They demonstrate the poor quality of her quarters.

B) They show how intricate and interesting the wallpaper is.

C) They illustrate the narrator’s deteriorating mental health.

D) They express the narrator’s imagination and creativity.

8. Why does the narrator hate to look out the window by the end of the story?

A) She sees women freely walking the grounds.

B) She thinks she is being watched.

C) She has been having thoughts of suicide.

D) She is bothered by the sunlight.

9. What is suggested by the narrator’s assertion that she has escaped from inside the wallpaper?

A) her total break with reality

B) her desire to trade places with Mary or Jennie

C) her determination to be with her baby

D) her desire to escape from the patriarchal rule of her husband

10. Why does the narrator feel jealous when Jennie and John take note of the wallpaper? (short answer)

11. Who created the mark running along the bottom of the wall? (short answer)

12. What is the root cause of the narrator’s obsession with the wallpaper? (short answer)

Discussion Suggestion: How does the story’s unreliable narration add to the theme of a woman’s isolation and disempowerment?

Discussion Suggestion: What is the metaphorical function of the woman the narrator sees in the wallpaper?

Discussion Suggestion: What elements of the story help us understand the frame of mind of the narrator?