Analysis

• What does the narrator focus on in her room?

  The narrator focuses on the wallpaper, describing its confusing patterns and ugly yellow color.
• What happens as the narrator's mental state deteriorates?

  The narrator starts seeing figures, especially a woman, in the wallpaper and believes they are real.
• How does the narrator describe her life after imagining the figures in the wallpaper?

  She says life is more exciting now, as she has something to look forward to and watch.
• How do other characters, like John and Jane, view the narrator's condition?

  They believe the narrator is improving, though the reader knows she is actually getting worse.
• What does the narrator believe at the end of the story?

  She believes she is the woman in the wallpaper and says, "I've got out at last... and I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!"
• What does the narrator’s statement at the end reveal about her state of mind?

  It reveals that she has lost touch with reality and fully embraced her delusion.
• What treatment is the narrator subjected to in The Yellow Wallpaper?

  The narrator is prescribed the "rest cure," which involves being confined to a bedroom in a remote mansion with minimal stimulation.
• How does the narrator initially appear in the story?

  The narrator seems sensible and lucid at the beginning of the story.
• What causes the narrator’s mental state to deteriorate in The Yellow Wallpaper?

  The narrator's fixation on the wallpaper, combined with the lack of stimulation and isolation, gradually drives her insane.
• How does the narrator view the wallpaper in her room?

  The narrator becomes obsessed with the wallpaper, describing it as "repellent" and "almost revolting."
• How does the narrator start to personify the wallpaper?

  She begins to give the wallpaper powers, saying, "This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!"
• What does the narrator's personification of the wallpaper reveal about her mental state?

  It shows that she is increasingly unreliable and detached from reality, assigning human-like qualities and intentions to an inanimate object.
• How does Gilman convey the narrator's unstable state of mind in The Yellow Wallpaper?

  Gilman uses short, fragmented sentences, which reflect the narrator’s confusion and uncertainty.
• What does the short, choppy writing style suggest about the narrator?

  It suggests that the narrator is immature, unreliable, and dependent on her husband, John, for care.
• How does the first-person point of view affect the story in The Yellow Wallpaper?

  It provides an intimate, personal look into the narrator's descent into madness and helps the reader understand the dangers of the rest cure.
• What literary movement does The Yellow Wallpaper align with?

  The story aligns with the realist movement, which focused on depicting the inner workings of the human mind.
• How does Gilman portray the events in The Yellow Wallpaper?

  Gilman presents a raw, unidealized, and disturbing depiction of the narrator’s experience, rather than romanticizing or glorifying it.