“The Yellow Wallpaper” – Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Create a list of five subjects for this short story.

2. How has the author used developmental structure and location to stress central ideas of
the story?
3. Describe the physical setting of the narrator’s room.
4. Describe character traits of John and the narrator.
5. Identify the perspective the story is told from.
6. Comment on the reliability of the narrator. Use a quotation from the text to support
your response.
7. Explain the symbolism of the wallpaper and the heavy bed, nailed to the floor.
8. The narrator in the story is subject to extended periods of waiting and being monitored.
A) Identify two central themes of this story.
B) Write a thematic statement, focused on one of your identified themes.