Question

Consider the following quote from Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
“For many years I suffered from a severe and continuous nervous breakdown tending to melancholia – and beyond. During about the third year of this trouble I went, in devout faith and some faint stir of hope, to a noted specialist in nervous diseases, the best known in the country. This wise man put me to bed and applied the rest cure, to which a still good physique responded so promptly that he concluded that there was nothing the matter with me, and sent me home with solemn advice to ‘live as domestic a life as possible,’ to ‘have but two hours’ intelligent life a day,’ and ‘never to touch pen, brush or pencil again as long as I lived.’ This was in 1887…”

1:What connections can you draw between Gilman’s quote on her own life experiences and “The Yellow Wallpaper”? Cite specific examples.


2:Using a reliable source such as Ebsco Host or Brittanica Online, research the role of women in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Note how the concept of women’s roles and women’s abilities was changing during this time period. Provide an example or two.

3:How does the doctor’s viewpoint in “The Yellow Wallpaper” agree and conflict with historical events of the late 1800s and early 1900s?
Write a summary which answers all of the questions. Be prepared to discuss your research and answers to the questions with your teacher.