“The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892)
1. List the characters the reader meets and write a brief paragraph (three to four sentences) on each one. Include at least two quotations per paragraph to illustrate your work.
2. Summarize the action of the story in a five to six sentence paragraph.
3. What does the reader learn about the narrator from the first three paragraphs of the story?
4. Consider the narrator's opening descriptions of the house and its grounds. What details does she like? What fantasies does she have about the house and what do these fantasies suggest about her interior life? What does the reader learn about her from her description of the house and its rooms?
5. Consider the passages in which the narrator writes about the yellow wallpaper. Think carefully about how these descriptions change over the course of the story.
6 . Consider the narrator’s relationship with her husband. How does their relationship change over the course of the story? Who is stronger, the narrator or her husband?
7. What do the speaker’s frequent hesitations suggest to the reader? Is she a reliable narrator?
Short Fiction Analysis
Criteria
Thinking
-presents ideas logically
-uses evidence to back up ideas/opinions
Application
-strong mechanics
-correct spelling and sentence structure
-correct format
Communication
-transitional words used for coherence
-organized and focused
-appropriate tone
Knowledge
-demonstrates understanding of questions / text
-chooses appropriate evidence to support ideas/opinions
R 1 2 3 4
Level
R 1 2 3 4
R 1 2 3 4
R 1 2 3 4
Name: ______________
Notes