Who are the main characters in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The woman (main character)- The woman, whose name is never mentioned in the story, is extremely mentally ill throughout the book. Because this takes place in older times (before modern medicine was very advance), no one knew what was wrong with her. She hallucinated many times throughout the story and felt extremely trapped.
What is the name of the main character in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The Yellow Wallpaper Characters
- The 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.
- Mary appears to be a nurse who takes care of the narrator’s baby.
Who is Mary in the Yellow Wallpaper?
The Yellow Wallpaper, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892, is often viewed as a classic feminist short story. Mary, a nursemaid, is only mentioned once, yet the character holds some ...
Who is the narrator 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. She is a physical representation of the woman in the wallpaper.
What does Jennie in The Yellow Wallpaper represent?
Jennie is also a symbol of femininity because she is the housekeeper and as such is used to intensify the narrators feelings of guilt at not being able to be the wife that was expected of her.
Is Jane Jennie in The Yellow Wallpaper?
''The Yellow Wallpaper:'' Summary Gilman's ''The Yellow Wallpaper'' is a short story about a woman and her husband who move into a house where the woman is meant to rest and recover from a nervous condition. Her husband, John, as well as her caretaker, Jennie, protect the woman narrating the story.
How does the narrator view Jennie in The Yellow Wallpaper?
Detailed answer: The narrator feels sorry for the woman named Jennie. She got into depression and is now being controlled by her husband and brother. Although the woman initially scared the narrator, she later felt compassion for her.
Who are the characters in The Yellow Wallpaper?
The Woman in the WallpaperJohnMaryNarratorJennieThe Yellow Wallpaper/Characters
What does the woman in the wallpaper represent?
The woman inside of the wallpaper symbolizes the narrator 's inner thoughts and insane feelings portrayed as a trapped, hopeless woman. This is because this is how she feels in society, which reflects how many other women felt during this time period as well.
Who is Jane in The Yellow Wallpaper quizlet?
A young, upper-middle-class woman, and just had a baby. She is going through the "rest cure" for her depression. Her name may be Jane. She escapes through her journal, and she has a great imagination, and is obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room.
Why does the narrator believe that John and Jennie?
Why does the narrator believe that John and Jennie are looking at the wallpaper? She thinks that the wallpaper is having the same effect on them as it is on her. Read the excerpt from "The Yellow Wallpaper."
How have her perceptions of John and Jennie changed from the beginning of the story?
How have her perceptions of John and Jennie changed from the beginning of the story? She sees a woman in the wallpaper. She begins to not trust them and suspects them of knowing more about the wallpaper than they let on. Abruptly the narrator switches mood from boredom and frustration to excitement.
Does the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper have a name?
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.
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...•
Who is the baby in The Yellow Wallpaper?
The baby is also only ever referred to as 'the baby,' he or she is never given a name. This is intentionally done as it serves to highlight the issues the narrator has with the feminine role, as well as suggest that the mental illness that the narrator suffers from is postnatal depression.
What mental illness does Jane have in The Yellow Wallpaper?
The narrator is brought by her physician husband to a summer retreat in the countryside to recover from her “temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency”.
What does the narrator feel about Jennie?
The narrator’s thoughts reveal she feels fond of Jennie, and as she writes for her eyes only, the reader accepts she speaks the truth. As she reflects on Jennie’s good housekeeping skills and her contentment with the work, the narrator concludes she shouldn’t expect Jennie to approve of her preference for writing. She feels amused that Jennie thinks writing makes her sick. For now, the narrator can confidently deny such a possibility even though she knows both Jennie and John believe her writing harms her.
What did Jennie say to the wall?
Jennie looked at the wall in amazement, but I told her merrily that I did it out of pure spite at the vicious thing. She laughed and said she wouldn’t mind doing it herself, but I must not get tired. How she betrayed herself that time!
What does the narrator believe about the yellow wallpaper?
The narrator believes that the yellow wallpaper contains a mystery she feels determined to solve, and she does not want to share the secret with anyone. She doubts Jennie’s excuse for touching the wallpaper.
What does the narrator's choice of dispassionate words to describe the overheard conversation as?
The narrator’s choice of dispassionate words to describe the overheard conversation as “professional” and a “report” implies an emotional detachment from the subject of her well-being, and from the people conversing, even though they are her husband and sister-in-law.
Does Jennie touch the wallpaper?
She doubts Jennie’s excuse for touching the wallpaper. However, Jennie’s observation evidences the narrator’s growing obsession with the wallpaper as she spends a lot of time both tearing at and rubbing against the wallpaper as she circuits the room.
Does Jennie think writing makes her sick?
She feels amused that Jennie thinks writing makes her sick. For now, the narrator can confidently deny such a possibility even though she knows both Jennie and John believe her writing harms her. John thought it might do me good to see a little company, so we just had mother and Nellie and the children down for a week.
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.
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.
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.
Who is the narrator's husband?
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.
Does the woman get out of the valley?
The Woman does eventually get out and creeps all over the valley, as fast as the shadows of the running clouds. In the end, the narrator peels down the yellow wallpaper, thus releasing the Woman – and herself – for good.
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.
What is the idea of Jane instead of Jennie?
She can no longer tell the difference between her real self and the imaginary woman. On the other hand, there is a suggestion that the narrator made a typo and wrote Jane instead of Jennie.
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.
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.
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 does Jennie's presence and contentment with a domestic role intensify?
Her presence and her contentment with a domestic role intensify the narrator’s feelings of guilt over her own inability to act as a traditional wife and mother. Jennie seems, at times, to suspect that the narrator is more troubled than she lets on.
What is the narrator's name in the book "The Wallpaper"?
A young, upper-middle-class woman, newly married and a mother, who is undergoing care for depression. 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 is the narrator's husband?
John. The narrator’s husband and her physician. John restricts her behavior as part of her treatment. Unlike his imaginative wife, John is extremely practical, preferring facts and figures to “fancy,” at which he “scoffs openly.”.
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 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.
Why is Jane the narrator in Yellow Wallpaper?
There is more support for the theory that Jane is the narrator because we can see how the narrator kept her own identity hidden away. Also, revealing the narrator's name only at the end reinforces the idea that her identity was undervalued throughout the story, even by the reader.
What happens to the woman behind the yellow wallpaper?
Along the way, the woman becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room and is convinced that there is a woman trapped behind the wallpaper, whom she wants to free. The story ends with the woman tearing the wallpaper from the wall, believing that she has freed the woman behind it, and merging her identity with the woman's. John walks in on this scene and faints.
Why did Charlotte Perkins Gilman write the Yellow Wallpaper?
Include the connections between Jane and her physical setting in your response. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper' to criticize the rest cure, which is the idea that isolation and inactivity will improve one's mental health. How does the character of Jane prove that the rest cure is not only ineffective but also mentally damaging?
What is the yellow wallpaper about?
Gilman's ''The Yellow Wallpaper'' is a short story about a woman and her husband who move into a house where the woman is meant to rest and recover from a nervous condition. Her husband, John, as well as her caretaker, Jennie, protect the woman narrating the story. In fact, so much so that she has very little freedom, and eventually, ...
What is Jane's mental illness?
This woman, who goes unnamed for most of the story, is suffering from a mental illness. Most likely, she is suffering from postpartum depression. Her husband, who is a physician, believes that the best course of action is to lock Jane in the old nursery of a large home.
Does Gilman give the narrator a name?
Yes, it probably would have been less confusing at the end if Gilman had told us the narrator's name earlier in the book. However , it's likely that she failed to give the narrator a name in an effort to underscore how little the narrator's identity was valued in the household. Everyone else is named, but the narrator is never identified at all. Even the narrator herself often discounts her own observations and feelings and focuses instead on the perspectives of others in the household. The ending is the one place where the narrator demonstrates agency, and we finally learn her name.
Is Jane a typo?
It is possible that Jane is a typo for Jennie since Jennie lives in the house and has been a caretaker for the narrator. In this scenario, the narrator is telling her husband that she has managed to escape his controlling influence as well as Jennie's.
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.
