Question

read the excerpt from \the yellow wallpaper.\
john does not know how much i really suffer. he knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.
of course it is only nervousness. it does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way!
i meant to be such a help to john, such a real rest and comfort, and here i am a comparative burden already!
nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little i am able,—to dress and entertain, and order things.
how does the narrator’s viewpoint reveal a social attitude of gilman’s time?
○ the narrator questions why she should perform certain duties, such as entertaining guests.
○ the narrator feels an overwhelming responsibility to meet society’s expectations.
○ the narrator thinks that her husband displays a great deal of nervousness, and she wonders about its source.
○ the narrator questions her place in society and her role as a mother and a wife.

Explanation:

• Analyze Option A: The excerpt shows the narrator struggling to fulfill duties, not questioning why she should do them. So A is incorrect.
• Analyze Option B: The narrator feels guilty for not being a “help,” “rest and comfort” to John and finds it hard to do even small duties. This shows she feels pressured to meet societal (and her husband's) expectations of a wife's role, which was a common social attitude in Gilman's time (late 19th/early 20th century, with traditional gender roles).
• Analyze Option C: The text says the narrator has “nervousness,” not that she thinks her husband is nervous. So C is incorrect.
• Analyze Option D: The excerpt focuses on her role as a wife (helping John, doing domestic duties), not as a mother or questioning her place in society in a broader sense (like beyond wifehood). So D is incorrect.

Answer:

B. The narrator feels an overwhelming responsibility to meet society’s expectations.