Saturday, July 20, 2019
the yellow wallpaper -- essays research papers
How Passivity and Submissiveness lead to madness by Charlette Perkins Gilman and Henrik Ibsen ââ¬Å"He told me all his opinions, so I had the same ones too; or if they were different I hid them, since he wouldnââ¬â¢t have cared for thatâ⬠(Ibsen 109). As this quote suggests Charlotte Perkins Gilman, in ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wall-Paperâ⬠and Henrik Ibsen, in A Doll House dramatize that, for woman, silent passivity and submissiveness can lead to madness. à à à à à The narrator of ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wall-Paperâ⬠is driven to madness after she withdraws into herself. ââ¬Å"I am aloneâ⬠(Gilman 44), she tells us. Desperately trying to express her feelings to John, she says ââ¬Å"I told him that I really was not gaining here and that I wish he would take me awayâ⬠(Gilman 46), but ââ¬Å"I stopped short; for he sat up straight and looked at me with such a stern reproachful look that I could not say another word.â⬠Instead the narrator ââ¬Å"keeps quiet.â⬠She settles into quiet submission: I ââ¬Å"am much more quiet than I was. John is so pleasedâ⬠(Gilman 48). She is ââ¬Å"afraidâ⬠to ââ¬Å"irritateâ⬠John or ââ¬Å"to make him uncomfortableâ⬠(Gilman42). She makes herself believe that as a ââ¬Å"physicianâ⬠he knows whatââ¬â¢s best for her and, therefore, acts passively, letting John control her even though she gets ââ¬Å"unreasonably angry withâ⬠him (Gilman40). Writing in her journal is the only thing that keeps her sane; yet John takes that away from her: ââ¬Å"I must put this away-he hates to have me writeâ⬠(Gilman 41). The narrator yearns to confess to John how she really feels, but she prefers to keep her feelings bottled up: ââ¬Å"I think sometimes that if I were to write a little it would relieve the pressure of ideas and rest meâ⬠(Gilman 42). Instead, she is passive and hides her emotions. ââ¬Å"I cry at nothing and cry most of the time. Of course I donââ¬â¢t when John is here, or anybody else,â⬠only ââ¬Å"when I am aloneâ⬠(Gilman 44). She tells us that ââ¬Å"John doesnââ¬â¢t know how much I really sufferâ⬠(Gilman 41). Even when the narrator tries to communicate with him, he immediately dismisses her: ââ¬Å"I tried to have a real earnest reasonable talk with him,â⬠but ââ¬Å"John wouldnââ¬â¢t hear of itâ⬠(Gilman 40). Instead of speaking her mind and standing up for herself, she withdraws and does ââ¬Å"not say another wordâ⬠(Gilman 47). Convincing herself that John is always ââ¬Å"right,â⬠she obeys whatever ââ¬Å"John says,â⬠which only causes her condition to ââ¬Å"worsenâ⬠despite the fact ... ...y Torvald: ââ¬Å"He used to call me his doll-child, and he played with me the way I played with my dollsâ⬠¦I went from Papaââ¬â¢s hands into yours. You arranged everything to your own taste, and so I got the same taste as you-or I pretended toâ⬠¦ Now when I look back it seems I have lived here like a beggar-just from hand to mouthâ⬠(Ibsen 109). Rather than be ââ¬Å"shelteredâ⬠(Ibsen 108) by him unlike Gilmanââ¬â¢s character, Nora is able to speak up for herself and confront her past. à à à à à Both Nora and the narrator of ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wall-Paperâ⬠suffer from their silent passivity and submissiveness. Nora Helmer, who nearly ââ¬Å"lost [her] mindâ⬠(Ibsen ), is able to save herself by being assertive and speaking out, confronting Torvald, her past, and her need to educate herself in the ways of the world. Unfortunately Gilmanââ¬â¢s character keeps her feelings inside, and, as a result withdraws into herself and becomes insane. The narrator asserts her disjunction from reality as she tells John: ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve got out at lastâ⬠¦in spite of you and Jane...and you canââ¬â¢t put me backâ⬠(Gilman 53), sloughing off the person she once was, ââ¬Å"Janeâ⬠to become the ââ¬Å"womanâ⬠in the paper. à à à à Ã
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.