Read the excerpt from "The Yellow Wallpaper." I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! but John would not hear of it. He said there was only one window and not room for two beds, and no near room for him if he took another. He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction.
Which statement describes a gothic element in this excerpt that reflects a social attitude of Gilman’s time?
A. John makes decisions on his wife’s behalf, which illustrates that she is not in control of her own fate.
B. John’s words to his wife indicate that he is a strange and mysterious character who may have other motives.
C. The narrator’s description of the nearly windowless room contributes to the sense of longing and fear.
D. The narrator’s description of the rooms that open to the piazza contributes to the sense of mystery and suspense.
The statement that describes a Gothic element in this excerpt that reflects a social attitude of Gilman's time is A. John makes decisions on his wife's behalf, which illustrates that she is not in control of her own fate. Regardless of what she wants to have in life (be it a small thing like a room with a view over the piazza), if her wishes clash with those of her husband's, the wife doesn't really get a say in this. The husband is going to make a decision for her, because she doesn't have the freedom to do that.
