I don’t see the passage but it is probably struggle.
B. He's good natured and possibly making a joke
Why does John resist the narrator's attempts to stimulate her mind and express her thoughts? He thinks it will make her condition worse. He wants to be the creative one in their marriage. He thinks it will keep her from more productive work.
I believe it would be a soliloquy. A soliloquy is defined as a person speaking to themselves without any regard for someone that may hear it (or oblivious to them).
