Question

Select the correct text in the passage.

Which sentence in this excerpt from "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman suggests that the narrator may be prone to hallucinations?
I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me.
But I find I get pretty tired when I try.
It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work. When I get really well, John says we will ask Cousin Henry and Julia
down for a long visit; but he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now.
I wish I could get well faster.
But I must not think about that. This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had! Plato

Answer 1

The sentence that suggests the narrator may be prone to hallucinations is:

"This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!"

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence "This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!" suggests that the narrator is attributing sentient qualities to the inanimate wallpaper, indicating a break from reality. This personification of the wallpaper, where she believes it has awareness and intent, implies a hallucinatory perception or a psychological projection of her inner turmoil onto her surroundings. It is a hint of her deteriorating mental state, which is a central theme in "The Yellow Wallpaper." The story is known for its portrayal of the narrator's descent into psychosis, and this sentence is an early indication of her tendency to see life or malevolence in the patterns of the wallpaper, which becomes a significant element of her hallucinations as the story progresses.

Answer 2

The narrator's hallucinatory state is suggested by her personification of the wallpaper and her vision of it having a 'vicious influence' with 'bulbous eyes' staring at her.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence in this excerpt from The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman that suggests the narrator may be prone to hallucinations is: "The yellow wallpaper which she describes as having a "vicious influence" seems to come to life in her eyes, and she describes seeing a "broken neck and two bulbous eyes" in the pattern that stare at her. This personification of the wallpaper and the detailed vision of eyes and other features suggest a hallucinatory state, as the wallpaper is inanimate and cannot physically influence or look at her."