Madness from Isolation Insanity or madness can be defined as incompetence and thoughtless behavior. One can also see it as a never ending inner fight between reality and imagination. A person battles this destructive poison that can break down his or her mind with the slightest touch. Isolation can intensify the chaos one is struggling with. Once he or she gives in even a little, the tar-like toxin tightly grasps on, making it almost impossible to escape. Finally, the dark pit of insanity takes over, not giving one any hope of return. Madness can consume one through seclusion by polluting his or her mental state with putrid thoughts and disturbing actions. Charlotte Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” displays the progression of
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For instance, her father prevented her from having a life of her own by scaring away any possible suiters. The town’s people say that “None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such” (Faulkner 222) and that “Miss Emily a slender in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip” (Faulkner 223). Because of her father’s actions, she became solely dependent on him. His death was Emily’s catalyst to her downward spiral into madness. For example, the town’s people tried to remove her father’s corpse from the house, but Miss Emily told them that “her father was not dead” (Faulkner 223). Emily is starting to lose touch with reality and refuses to accept facts. The death of her father started to push her over the line of insanity, and the people of the town progressed the damage even more by saying, “’She will kill herself’; and we said it would be the best thing” (Faulkner 224). However, nothing or no one came close to drowning her in madness like Homer had. Homer gave her a small piece of hope in that she could have a normal life. Miss Emily became completely consumed in her own insanity when Homer decided to leave her. Out of fear, she does the unthinkable by killing Homer and keeping him in a room for forty years. Loneliness and seclusion from society can severely damage a fragile state of mind. This can cause one to take desperate measures in order to keep from falling into
For instance, her father prevented her from having a life of her own by scaring away any possible suiters. The town’s people say that “None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such” (Faulkner 222) and that “Miss Emily a slender in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip” (Faulkner 223). Because of her father’s actions, she became solely dependent on him. His death was Emily’s catalyst to her downward spiral into madness. For example, the town’s people tried to remove her father’s corpse from the house, but Miss Emily told them that “her father was not dead” (Faulkner 223). Emily is starting to lose touch with reality and refuses to accept facts. The death of her father started to push her over the line of insanity, and the people of the town progressed the damage even more by saying, “’She will kill herself’; and we said it would be the best thing” (Faulkner 224). However, nothing or no one came close to drowning her in madness like Homer had. Homer gave her a small piece of hope in that she could have a normal life. Miss Emily became completely consumed in her own insanity when Homer decided to leave her. Out of fear, she does the unthinkable by killing Homer and keeping him in a room for forty years. Loneliness and seclusion from society can severely damage a fragile state of mind. This can cause one to take desperate measures in order to keep from falling into