The Yellow Wallpaper, breaking the fourth wall

According to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's excerpt titled Why I Wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper", the short story's intention was not "to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy". Which is exactly what the complex piece of literature did.

In this fictitious account of a woman going insane, the audience is taken through Gilman's experience of being confined to a single room as a way of "treatment" for her downtrodden state of mind. The reader is taken by the hand while they read her various journal entries that span over the course of a few months. Women taking part in writing is greatly frowned upon during this time period, therefore Gilman must keep her written documentation of her inner thoughts a secret. Gilman even draws reference to this by ending her journal in ways such as this: "Here comes John, and I must put this away, - he hates to have me write a word." This does not only shows the women's lack of freedom during this time but also the overall superiority that men possessed. Other examples of John giving off an air of authority are the way he refers to his wife. Very often, Gilman is referred to as John's "little girl" or "doll". These misleading terms of endearment can be seen as degrading, while at the same time referencing her as being a little girl. Being a grown woman treated with the respect of only a child causes the narrator to become, "a little afraid of John". In many cases it is obvious that this story takes places during a time where equal rights were non-existent.

Reading a story through a series of one female's journal entries gives the reader a very unique perspective on the story as a whole. What the narrator reveals through her entries varies greatly from the image she is portraying of herself to the other characters within the story. Those who read Gilman's short storyare given an inside view as to what she is thinking and the exact way in which she is feeling. They are given the opportunity to pick up on context clues that can lead to a more intimate relationship with the author. In a sense, the narrator and 'audience' are taking part in a concept called the theatrical contract.  This 'agreement' is broken down into two different areas of contract, representational and presentational. According to Scott E. Walters, Introduction to Play Analysis, the theatrical contract is defined as "an informational understanding or agreement between a theatrical production and it's audience". The Yellow Wallpaper takes a prespresentational approach in creating a special connection with its audience. In a way the story is "breaking the fourth wall", a metaphor that is used to show the audience coming between the barrier separating the play from reality. Walters further supports this by stating that, "people develop stronger connections to those who talk to them than those who ignore them". Obviously Gilman is not directly talking to her readers, but she is breaking the barrier by giving them a chance to relate to her on a personal level.

the assumed danger behind a woman's education. what gives?

As Virginia Woolf reflects on her experience entering the library that "cursed women" she tells her readers:

"I must have opened it, for instantly there issued, like a guardian angel barring the way with a flutter of black gown instead of white wings, a depressing, silvery, kindly gentleman, who regretted in a low voice as he waved me back that ladies are only admitted to the library if accompanied by a Fellow of the College or furnished with a letter of introduction."

Women and Fiction. A theme so simple, yet one that can be understood in a great deal of ways. Unlike author Charlotte Bronte, a now deceased forthright individual whose work was deemed rather controversial during the 19th century, Woolf takes a less direct approach in her writing of the ever famous novel, A Room of One's Own. In her avoidance of the use of persuasion, Woolf submissively encourages her audience to form an educated opinion of their own. Readers are able to base their individual outlook upon the insight discovered through the author's studying of various accounts of female inferiority; this is further supported by factual evidence and her own personal experience.

Only a few paragraphs after reading the passage above, I found myself retreating back to it and re-reading it a few times over. It reminded me of a story I had heard... no, a story I had read. I thought for a moment but could not put my finger on where this familiarity was coming from. I closed my eyes in hopes of the answer being written behind my eyelids. As I sat there a while longer, a name popped into my head. Guy Montag. In what story had I read that interesting name over and over again? Why was this person forming a connection with a woman who was blatantly denied her freedom to enter into a college library? Then, all at once, it came to me. A book that I read only a year ago as a senior in high school. Fahrenheit 451. How could I have forgotten?


For as much as I hate to admit it, I have a terrible memory when it comes to remembering literature. I can read something absolutely profound that I hope to remember as long as I live, and when I am asked about it two weeks later the title of the work has already left me. Although what I do remember from Fahrenheit 451 is the novel's theme of limitation on women's rights in terms of reading and education. Set in a futuristic time period, the female characters of this books live in a stimulated world full of television and media. At the start of the novel, women are forbidden to educate themselves through reading and are essentially cut-off from the worlds harsh reality.The books that were once available to the people are kept hidden by the town's up-most authority. Though this hardship does not stop everyone from sneaking a few reading materials and keeping them hidden within the secrecy of their home. Now I won't go any further and spoil the end for those who may decide to read it, but I will say that Guy Montag labels himself as quite the hero towards the end of the book.

The connection between A Room of One's Own and Fahrenheit 451 can be drawn for obvious reasons. For centuries, women's rights have lied heavily upon the issue of equal education for male and females. Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, bases his novel in the future, where technology reigns and books are no longer important. After reading Bradbury's novel, I put the intimidating concept of women's over stimulation and denial of education into deep consideration. Through doing this, I was not only encouraged to take a closer look at the roles that women pursue in our society today, but I was also inspired to reflect on history as a whole. Oh how the times have changed. Through reading Virginia Woolf''s A Room of One's Own, I was able to connect these astounding perspectives and "further my education" on women's rights.

Let Freedom Ring!

http://www.gradesaver.com/fahrenheit-451/study-guide/short-summary/

a beloved place

As our gold mazda mini-van approaches the final bend of the shaded dirt drive way, my anxious yet exhausted mother begins to slow the car down to further build our anticipation. Shrills from my siblings and I can be heard from inside the cottage. Nelly sticks out her long tongue and begins to pant while her tail knocks the pillow from my sister’s lap. Just like us, our beloved black Labrador retriever can sense that we have finally reached our desired destination. The large kitchen window that acts as the focal point in the back of the house is full of enthusiastic youthful faces, all waving as if they have just spotted a celebrity. One by one they rush downstairs and meet us in the large backyard that will double as a drive way over the next fourteen days. Before my mother has a chance to come to a complete stop, my brothers have yanked the sliding doors open and my dog has jumped over the blue plastic cooler in hopes of some fresh air. I wait until everyone else has exited the stale smelling vehicle that we have just been confined to before I step onto the damp grass and take in the refreshing aroma of Lake Avalon. The embraces begin, each one unique and just as I remember it. All of the familiar faces of my cousins, aunts and uncles, are enough to make me feel at home. It is as though the six hour car drive has already escaped my memory. I slip away from the questions and the laughter to finally say hello to the friend that I have longed for the most. Step by step, I make my way towards the end of the rustic brown dock. Avoiding beach toys and inner-tubes, I sit on the first towel I see. This picturesque dark blue body of water has never looked so peaceful. If only it the extent that I have craved its serenity.

Located near Alpena, Hillman Michigan is home to the quaint area of Lake Avalon and the hundreds of cottages that surround it. For fourteen days of out the summer, those fortunate enough to have experienced its beauty in the past, pack up their bathing suits and claim the family heirloom as their own. Once acting as a large hunting lodge, the slightly renovated interior of the log cabin has maintained its irreplaceable charm over the past eighty years. Joined by seventeen others, my family of seven (eight counting the dog) spends our allotted time at the cottage. Time spent at what we all know as “the lodge” is valued by those who understand how genuine it truly is. The memories made at this captivating place are ones that I will hold in my heart for a lifetime.     

the first of many

Well, here it is. My own personal blog. The spot where I will share my thoughts, beliefs and ideas for anyone to view. Enjoy!