Read the excerpt from "the yellow wallpaper."

at first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that i was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies.

which gothic element in this excerpt reflects a social attitude of gilman’s time?

a. the narrator feels an inevitable sense of doom.
b. the qualities of the wallpaper create a sense of mystery.
c. john appears to be a supernatural being.
d. john views his wife’s concerns as unimportant and silly.

Before even delving into the question, it is important to note that this short story has been a significant work in the feminist literature for its description of mental and physical states of women in 19th century. The excerpt is the discussion between John ans his wife. They discuss the renovation of the room and John doesn't agree with it. Among the given choices the correct option is D.

The correct answer is D. “John views his wife’s concerns as unimportant and silly”

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, in her book, the yellow wallpaper tells a story of a woman who is restrained by his difficult and misunderstanding husband, John. John’s wife suffers hysteria after the birth of their baby and needs to have some bed rest.  

Although her domineering husband admits she needed rest cure but compelled her to stay in a room that doesn’t fit her condition. The room contains maddening yellow wallpaper, the floor is scratched and the windows are barred. The poor condition of the room drives her insane and begs her husband to allow her to move to another room but he refuses her plea.

The yellow wallpaper was a story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in reactions to how women are treated in the 19th century. The short story is considered one of the early works of American Feminist literature due to how it explains people’s reactions to the mental and physical state of women in the 1900s.

In the short story, Gilman identified the role played by women in the 18th and 19th centuries and also pointed out the many issues faced by women at that time.

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the author motivation is to show the power of animal-human relationships.