June 4 2025 Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)

Silent Read 20 min

Hand out of - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Reading.


Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students will:

  • Understand key themes in The Yellow Wallpaper, including confinement, mental health, and identity.

  • Analyze narrative voice and symbolism through collaborative discussion.


1. Warm-Up: “What’s Behind the Wall?” (10 minutes)

In Pairs:

  • Each pair brainstorms what wallpaper might symbolically hide.

  • Prompt: “If wallpaper could hide emotions, secrets, or thoughts, what would be behind it?”

  • Share one idea per pair with the class.

2. Pair Discussion: Voice & Sanity (15–20 minutes)

Provide key excerpts from the narrator’s descent into madness.
In Pairs:

  • Take turns reading aloud to each other.

  • Discuss:

    • What do we notice about how the narrator’s voice changes?

    • Where does the line blur between imagination and reality?

    • How does the setting reflect her mental state?

Each pair writes 3 sticky notes:

  • 1 insight about the narrator's voice

  • 1 symbol from the story

  • 1 personal reaction

Stick them on the board under categories: VOICE / SYMBOLISM / REACTION


Notes: 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Author Bio 

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) was an American writer, feminist, and social reformer known for her powerful works on gender roles, mental health, and the limitations placed on women in society.

Gilman grew up in a time when women had very few rights, and she used her writing to challenge the status quo. She believed strongly in women’s independence—economic, intellectual, and emotional.

Her most famous short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), was inspired by her own experience with postpartum depression and a harmful treatment called the “rest cure,” which required women to avoid work and creative activity—essentially trapping them. Instead of healing her, it nearly destroyed her mental health.

Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper to expose the dangers of ignoring women’s voices and emotions, and it’s now recognized as a landmark work of early feminist literature.

Beyond fiction, she was also a lecturer, activist, and author of many essays and books promoting equality and social reform. She believed that society could not progress unless women were treated as full and equal participants.

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