Question

Why might Charlotte Perkins Gilman have written "The Yellow Wallpaper" in the first-person point of view? A. Gilman wanted to depict a woman’s mental breakdown naturally and objectively.
B. Gilman wanted to appeal to her male audience to treat their wives with more respect.
C. Gilman wanted to show a mental breakdown through the eyes of the sufferer’s loved ones.
D. Gilman wanted to illustrate to her readers how the rest cure could seriously damage a person.

Answer 1

The correct answer is the following: option a. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" in the first-person point of view in order to depict a woman's mental breakdown naturally and objectively.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an American novelist and a member of the feminist movement. She wrote the short story called "The Yellow Wallpaper" that was first published in January 1892. The story is based on the author's personal life, when after giving birth to her daughter, the author felt into a severe case of depression. Although "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a fictional work, it is based upon that personal even in Gilman's life.

That is why the use of the first-point of view is so important for the story. The author knew that by telling the story through the sufferer's point of view, the reader would be able to experience the same thoughts and emotions that the main character was suffering while falling into madness. She used the first-person point of view to describe in a natural and personal way the whole process of a mental breakdown.

Answer 2

The correct answer of this question is option D. Gilman wanted to illustrate to her readers how the rest cure could seriously damage a person. In the story, the narrator is highly imaginative but his husband does not want her to use her imagination. This forces the narrator to conceal her true feelings leading to her insanity.