- Narrator. Modeled after Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a young wife and mother who has recently began to suffer symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- John. The husband of the narrator, John is a practical physician who believes that his wife is suffering from nothing more than a “slight hysterical tendency.”
- Woman in the wallpaper. Although the narrator eventually believes that she sees many women in the yellow wallpaper, she centers on one in particular.
- Jennie. Jennie is the narrator’s sister-in-law and takes care of the house during the narrator’s illness. ...
- Mary. Mary takes care of the narrator and John's baby. With her name a possible allusion to the Virgin Mary, Mary is the perfect mother-surrogate for the narrator, an idealized ...
Full Answer
Who are the characters in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The Yellow Wallpaper Characters. T he characters in “The Yellow Wallpaper” are the narrator, John, Jennie, and Mary.. The narrator is a young woman who develops an illness, which John terms ...
Why is the narrator nameless in the Yellow Wallpaper?
Why is the narrator nameless in the Yellow Wallpaper? It is said that the reason that the narrator is unnamed is because it represents the lack of identity the woman is struggling with (“The Yellow Wallpaper” 3). Not naming the narrator until the end of the story is how Stetson portrays the oppression of woman during the 1800s.
Who is the narrator in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The narrator (main character) of "The Yellow Wallpaper." Throughout the entire story the narrator’s name is unknown. The other characters, Jennie and John, do not refer to the narrator by her name. This has caused controversy on why Stetson would leave the narrator unnamed. The name of the narrator is stated in the end of the story when the narrator finally becomes released from her oppression after she has finally ripped off all of the wallpaper.
Who is the woman in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The narrator of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's ''The Yellow Wallpaper'' fulfills several roles. She is the patient and wife of the man attending to her. Perhaps more importantly, the narrator is a prisoner in her own home.
Does the main character have a name in The Yellow Wallpaper?
The narrator—whose name may or may not be Jane—is highly imaginative and a natural storyteller, though her doctors believe she has a “slight hysterical tendency.” The story is told in the form of her secret diary, in which she records her thoughts as her obsession with the wallpaper grows.
Who are the two main characters in The Yellow Wallpaper?
The Yellow Wallpaper CharactersThe narrator is a young woman who develops an illness, which John terms “temporary nervous depression,” after the birth of her child. ... John, the narrator's husband, is a physician. ... Jennie is John's sister and the couple's housekeeper.More items...•
What is the name of the woman protagonist in The Yellow Wallpaper?
JaneJane is the protagonist of the story. If you interpret the story in this way, it's really creepy because the woman in the wallpaper comes to life and actually speaks. It also made me question if the woman in the wallpaper narrates the story at other points or if they are the same person all along.
Who is Jennie in The Yellow Wallpaper?
Jennie is the narrators sister-in-law and housekeeper for the family. She is one of the more minor characters but plays an important role in progressing the narrators illness.
Is The Yellow Wallpaper a true story?
Charlotte Perkins Gilman won much attention in 1892 for publishing “The Yellow Wallpaper,” a semi-autobiographical short story dealing with mental health and contemporary social expectations for women.
Why does John faint at the end of The Yellow Wallpaper?
The reason for John to faint at the end of the story is his shock provoked by the wife's mental state. He prescribes the “rest therapy” to eliminate any distressing events that could worsen his wife's depression.
Who is the hero of the story The Yellow Wallpaper?
Our unnamed protagonist is the narrator of the story “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” a short story published in 1892 by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which uses the conceit that the protagonist is writing the entire story in a journal.
Who is the antagonist in The Yellow Wallpaper?
We know the main antagonist is her husband, the physician, John. He creates the “obstacles that give the story momentum” and “creates an environment in which [her] transformation can take place” (Marks).
What is name of the narrator?
The Narrator (Fight Club)The Narrator Tyler DurdenVoiced byThe Narrator: Dave Wittenberg (video game) Tyler Durden: Joshua Leonard (video game)In-universe informationAliasTyler Durden Sebastian Joe Jack Cornelius Rupert Lenny Travis Mr. Taylor Ozzie HarrietGenderMale8 more rows
Is John a good husband in The Yellow Wallpaper?
Although John was portrayed as a caring and a loving physician and husband to the narrator through out most of the story, he was also suggested as being intrusive and directive to a provoking level in the mind of the narrator.
How does The Yellow Wallpaper end?
'The Yellow Wallpaper' is 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 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 ...
What is the theme of yellow wallpaper?
🕊️ Freedom, Identity, & Self-expression. Freedom and identity is probably the most important The Yellow Wallpaper's theme. In the story, John, the husband, puts restrictions on the narrator's freedom to make her feel better.
Who is the narrator's husband?
John. The narrator’s husband. He is a physician of high standing, and becomes doctor to his wife. He is extremely practical, rejects superstition, and is interested only in physical facts. This leads him to dismiss his… read analysis of John.
Who is Jennie in the book?
Jennie is John’s sister, who acts as housekeeper in their summer home, and also seems to serve as a caretaker to the narrator. She is described as enthusiastic in her duties, and worried for the well-being of her sister-in-law.
Who are the main characters in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The main characters in The Yellow Wallpaper are: the Narrator, John (her husband), Jennie, and Mary. And, last but not least, there is an imagined woman behind the wallpaper’s pattern who drives the Narrator crazy.
Why does the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper have no name?
A possible reason for The Yellow Wallpaper narrator’s lack of a name might be symbolic. The central theme of the short story is that the narrator lacks agency and identity of her own.
Who is John in The Yellow Wallpaper?
John is the narrator’s husband, a physician by profession. He takes it upon himself to oversee the treatment of his wife. From his point of view, the reason for her illness is her imagination. He forbids her to do any mental exercise. Although John is barely present, his controlling personality steers the narrator’s life into a disaster.
What is the woman from the wallpaper?
The Woman from the wallpaper is the crucial component of the narrator’s hallucinations. The latter doesn’t see the Woman immediately after moving in. Rather, her hallucinations are exponentially intensifying throughout the narrator’s stay.
Whom does the narrator see hiding in the wallpaper?
The narrator identifies as the Woman who is caged in the hated room like she is. The narrator is forced to hide her writing, her thoughts, and her true feelings. Just like her, the Woman from the wallpaper hides from people and creeps behind closed doors when nobody sees her. And the more exasperation the narrator suppresses, the more active the Woman becomes. In the end, the narrator comes to completely identify herself with the Woman, losing herself in the process.
Who is the sister of the narrator?
Jennie is the sister of the narrator’s husband, John. She takes up the role of the housekeeper since the narrator is unable to carry out this duty. Jennie doesn’t appear much in the story, keeping a distance from her sister-in-law. She is a source of guilt for the narrator, who is feeling like a burden.
What is the narrator disturbed by?
First, the narrator is disturbed only by the poor design of the pattern and the repellant shades of yellow color. Then, she starts noticing a subpattern visible only in a particular light. After a while, the flowery curls start sprouting fungus, and there are upside-down heads with white eyes poking through the pattern as if they tried to climb out but were cut down. And, of course, there is the Woman, stooping down and creeping behind the pattern at all times, and at nights, she is shaking it, trying to get out.
Who are the characters in the Yellow Wallpaper?
This article by Custom-Writing.org experts contains all the information about The Yellow Wallpaper’ s characters: the narrator, John, Mary, and Jennie. At the end of the article, you’ll learn who Jane in The Yellow Wallpaper is.
Who is John in Yellow Wallpaper?
John is one of the characters in The Yellow Wallpaper. He directly affects the mental health of the narrator. Since he is a physician, he decides to take charge of her treatment plan.
What is the significance of Mary in the Yellow Wallpaper?
However, the significance of the character is underestimated sometimes. The narrator mentions how great Mary is with her child. The readers feel relieved because she can take care of the little girl after the young mother’s health is too unstable.
Why is the anonymous figure at the top of the characters list?
The anonymous figure is placed at the top of the characters list because she is the short story’s narrator. We can tell that the narrator is from the upper-middle class. Her family can afford such a house, but she’s still surprised how. Not so long after giving birth, she seems to have postpartum depression.
What is the narrator's quote in The Yellow Wallpaper?
The Yellow Wallpaper: Narrator’s Quotes. 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. The Yellow Wallpaper, entry 2.
Does the narrator keep a diary?
However, she secretly keeps a diary where she writes down her thoughts and events. We can suggest that previously she had been a writer of some kind. The narrator possesses a very developed imagination and creative writing skills. With each day, her depression is getting worse and worse.
Is it wrong to think the narrator is Jane?
It is not entirely wrong to think that the narrator is Jane. Her words at the end of the story might confirm this. When the woman’s false identity from the wallpaper takes over, she says that she is free despite John “and Jane.”. The idea is that the narrator starts identifying herself with that mysterious figure.
What is the yellow wallpaper?
Modeled after Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a young wife and mother who has recently began to suffer symptoms of depression and anxiety. Although she does not believe that anything is wrong with her, John, her physician husband, diagnoses her with neurasthenia and prescribes several months of S. Weir Mitchell’s famed “rest cure.” In addition to being confined to the nursery in their rented summer home, the narrator is expressly forbidden to write or engage in any creative activity. The narrator desperately wants to please her husband and assume her role as an ideal mother and wife, but she is unable to balance her husband’s needs with her desire to express her creativity. While attempting to adhere to John’s wishes for the most part, the narrator secretly writes in her journal, seeking solace from her extreme loneliness and inactivity. Over the course of the story, the narrator also begins to find comfort in the hideous yellow wallpaper that covers the walls of the nursery. She gradually begins to see a female figure trapped behind the bar-like pattern of the wallpaper and realizes that both she and the figure are suffering from oppression and imprisonment. As the narrator becomes more and more preoccupied with the pattern of the wallpaper, she forgets her desire to become the perfect wife and mother and thinks only of a way to release the imprisoned woman from the wallpaper. Gilman’s increasingly choppy prose and disjointed stream-of-consciousness express the narrator’s growing insanity with each passing day. By the end of the story, the narrator has lost all sense of reality, and John discovers her creeping around the perimeter of the nursery, following the endless pattern of the wallpaper. While she discards her duty as a wife and mother, as well as her sanity, the narrator ultimately triumphs in her personal quest to release the woman in the wallpaper - and thus liberates herself.
Who is the narrator's sister in law?
Jennie. Jennie is the narrator’s sister-in-law and takes care of the house during the narrator’s illness. Although she does not play an active role in the narrative, she is a constant reminder of the narrator's inability to assume her proper role as John's wife and housekeeper.
Who is the husband of the narrator?
The husband of the narrator, John is a practical physician who believes that his wife is suffering from nothing more than a “slight hysterical tendency.”. He prescribes the “rest cure,” confining the narrator to the nursery and forbidding her to exercise her creative imagination in any way.
Who is the mother-surrogate in the book Mary?
Mary. Mary takes care of the narrator and John's baby. With her name a possible allusion to the Virgin Mary, Mary is the perfect mother-surrogate for the narrator, an idealized maternal figure whose only concern is her child. Like Jennie, she also symbolizes the happily domesticated woman.
What are the characters in Yellow Wallpaper?
The Yellow Wallpaper Characters 1 The narrator is a young woman who develops an illness, which John terms “temporary nervous depression,” after the birth of her child. She is confined to bed and discouraged from writing—previously her creative outlet—after John prescribes a “rest cure.” 2 John, the narrator’s husband, is a physician. He tries to control the narrator’s emotional and imaginative life, and believes that only rest will relieve her symptoms. 3 Jennie is John’s sister and the couple’s housekeeper. 4 Mary appears to be a nurse who takes care of the narrator’s baby.
Who is the narrator's sister in law?
Jennie, John’ s sister and the narrator’s sister-in-law, serves as their housekeeper. She gradually usurps the role that the narrator had once hoped to fill, managing the entirety of the household’s affairs. Like John, she is someone from whom the narrator must conceal her desires and activities. Jennie represents the ideal 19th-century woman and demonstrates the oppressive effect that ideal has on women like the narrator who want something else for themselves.
What is Jennie's role in the book?
Like John, she is someone from whom the narrator must conceal her desires and activities. Jennie represents the ideal 19th-century woman and demonstrates the oppressive effect that ideal has on women like the narrator who want something else for themselves.
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Who is John's sister?
Jennie is John’s sister and the couple’s housekeeper.
Who wrote the yellow wallpaper?
Seventh Edition. New York: Penguin Academics 2012. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Why didn't the narrator give the character a name through the story?
The narrator didn’t give the character a name through the story because she was representing all women in her era. Women who in the nineteenth century, middle class marriage was a distinction between the “domestic” functions of the female and the “active” work of the male, which made women second-class citizens.The character’s projection ...
What is the sub pattern in the book?
The sub-pattern comes as a desperate woman, constantly crawling and stooping, looking for an escape from behind the main pattern, which refers to the bars of a cage.Gilman uses this hideous paper as a symbol of the domestic life that traps so many women.
What is the Yellow Wallpaper?
" 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 ...
What does the narrator believe when she first enters the room with the yellow wallpaper?
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.
Why does the narrator want to sleep in the room by herself?
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.
What is the narrator forced into?
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.
What is the narrator discouraged from doing?
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.
When did Perkins Gilman 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 ...
Why does the narrator turn to the yellow wallpaper?
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.
