Both the stories “The Birth - Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman explore the topic of the mind and how an obsession about something can lead to mental destruction. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Gilman, Gilman shows how a woman who is said to be depressed is separated from her husband since he put her in a private room. On the other hand, in “The Birth - Mark,” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author expresses the idea of aiming for perfection since the husband, Aylmer wants his wife’s birthmark removed because it is a sign of imperfection. Together, in both of the stories, the theme is that if one strives to control for perfection in a person, he or she will cause his or
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In Gilman’s story, Jane has a disorder, and to make her feel better, her husband keeps her in a separate room with yellow wallpaper on the wall. Throughout the story, John never calls Jane by her name, but instead calls “a blessed little goose” (Gilman 480) and a “little girl” (Gilman 484). By doing so, it gives him authority over her. The yellow wallpaper in the room bothers her, and she describes it as “the color is repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering unclean yellow/committing every artistic sin” (Gilman 480). Jane uses imaginative language such as “revolting” and “smoldering unclean yellow,” and also the fact that she sees other women hiding inside the wallpaper, which makes her feel horrified and as a result, makes her to feel obsessed over the wallpaper. It also signifies how the obsession makes her feel trapped and unable to control herself and her mind. Furthermore, in the story, the yellow wallpaper has Jane trapped in the room, and this represents the idea that she is lonely. In addition, she makes it her goal to figure out the pattern of the wallpaper. Similarly in Hawthorne’s story, the woman also gets put in another room where she awaits …show more content…
For example, in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Jane is treated by her husband, John, for her nervous depression. However, her husband underestimates her illness and in order to treat her depression, John decides to place her in a private room. In addition, John will not let her be free to use her imagination therefore, she stays in this nursery room with the yellow wallpaper because Jane is able to use her imagination in this room. Furthermore, after the walls in the nursery room start talking to Jane, she begins to get more obsessed over the wallpaper. Also, the people that Jane hears talking to her are women who are trying to escape out of the walls. This is symbolic of her desire to break free of the confinement of her husband. John does more harm than good to Jane due to the mere fact that he keeps her as a prisoner of her own mind. On the other hand, in “The Birth-Mark”, Aylmer controls his wife Georgiana’s life. He thinks of his wife as a means of imperfection because she has a birthmark on her left cheek. By telling Georgiana that she “came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect-which we hesitate whether to term a defect or beauty-shocks me, as being the visibly mark of earthly imperfection” (Hawthorne 291), Aylmer implies that Georgiana cannot look beautiful with the birthmark. Aylmer is disgusted with this
In Gilman’s story, Jane has a disorder, and to make her feel better, her husband keeps her in a separate room with yellow wallpaper on the wall. Throughout the story, John never calls Jane by her name, but instead calls “a blessed little goose” (Gilman 480) and a “little girl” (Gilman 484). By doing so, it gives him authority over her. The yellow wallpaper in the room bothers her, and she describes it as “the color is repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering unclean yellow/committing every artistic sin” (Gilman 480). Jane uses imaginative language such as “revolting” and “smoldering unclean yellow,” and also the fact that she sees other women hiding inside the wallpaper, which makes her feel horrified and as a result, makes her to feel obsessed over the wallpaper. It also signifies how the obsession makes her feel trapped and unable to control herself and her mind. Furthermore, in the story, the yellow wallpaper has Jane trapped in the room, and this represents the idea that she is lonely. In addition, she makes it her goal to figure out the pattern of the wallpaper. Similarly in Hawthorne’s story, the woman also gets put in another room where she awaits …show more content…
For example, in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Jane is treated by her husband, John, for her nervous depression. However, her husband underestimates her illness and in order to treat her depression, John decides to place her in a private room. In addition, John will not let her be free to use her imagination therefore, she stays in this nursery room with the yellow wallpaper because Jane is able to use her imagination in this room. Furthermore, after the walls in the nursery room start talking to Jane, she begins to get more obsessed over the wallpaper. Also, the people that Jane hears talking to her are women who are trying to escape out of the walls. This is symbolic of her desire to break free of the confinement of her husband. John does more harm than good to Jane due to the mere fact that he keeps her as a prisoner of her own mind. On the other hand, in “The Birth-Mark”, Aylmer controls his wife Georgiana’s life. He thinks of his wife as a means of imperfection because she has a birthmark on her left cheek. By telling Georgiana that she “came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect-which we hesitate whether to term a defect or beauty-shocks me, as being the visibly mark of earthly imperfection” (Hawthorne 291), Aylmer implies that Georgiana cannot look beautiful with the birthmark. Aylmer is disgusted with this