Discuss “The Yellow Wallpaper”

“The Yellow Wallpaper”

1. What point of view is this written in? And how does that point of view affect readers’ ability to understand the plot, setting, conflict, and characters?

2. Explain how the yellow wallpaper is a symbol for the narrator’s situation. Additionally, explain how the narrator’s changing attitudes toward the wallpaper reflect changes in her perception of her situation/attitude.

3. In what ways does the conflict explored in this story seem dated? In what ways does it seem relevant to today’s world?

4. Why do you think the narrator’s baby is barely mentioned throughout the course of the text? What role does the baby play in the plot and conflict?

“Trifles”

1. Even though most of the play is devoted to the conversations and activities of the two women, why do the men speak first?

2. In what way do the men’s comments and dialogue in the play undermined women?

3. What evidence do the women uncover that might be motive for the murder?

4. All the “villains” or antagonists in this play are male. Explain who the “villains” are and why they are villainous or antagonists.

Textbook

Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature: Portable 12th Edition. New York: Norton, 2017.