Final answer:
In 'The Yellow Wallpaper,' the narrator describes the troubling color of the wallpaper as the 'strangest yellow,' reflecting oppressive themes and psychological distress experienced by the protagonist.
Step-by-step explanation:
In The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator describes the wallpaper as having the strangest yellow color. This description sets the tone for the story and echoes the protagonist's experiences and emotional state. The yellow wallpaper is not associated with cheerful, beautiful yellows such as buttercups, but rather with old foul, bad yellow things. The wallpaper becomes a symbol of the protagonist's oppression and her struggle for self-expression in a society that confines women to domestic roles and denies them intellectual and creative outlets.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the wallpaper effectively as a complex symbol, facilitating not just the physical, but also the psychological and emotional captivity of the protagonist. Her description of the wallpaper reflects the larger themes of oppression of women and the consequences of such societal constraints during the late 1800s.