Sacrifice In The Yellow Wallpaper

Marriage is a common element in fictional story telling. Many of the stories we read in our recent unit focused on the idea of a successful marriage and the sacrifices that characters make, or in some cases don’t. Managing conflict and making personal sacrifices are crucial to a successful marriage. When studying the relationships between Joe and Missy Mae, Mr. and Mrs. Waythorn, and the couple from “The Yellow Wallpaper” we see conflicts that needed managed and characters who made personal sacrifices for the sake of their marriage and partner. How do these marriages resemble each other and how do they differentiate? What are the dynamics like between each pair and how do these dynamics aid or interfere with happiness? By taking a closer look …show more content…
Joe arrives home early form work one night and catches them in the act. Many may argue about Missy Mae’s “sacrifice.” Is adultery viewed as sacrifice or is it selfishness? I do believe she was trying to help their marriage and was hoping Joe would never discover. She imagined how happy Joe and her would be if they were better off financially. Agree or disagree she made a sacrifice to better herself and her marriage. These types of sacrifices bring on conflict. Joe did discover these two in bed together. He handles this conflict in an interesting way. While the text describes his utter disbelief and shock, he begins laughing at one point, as if the situation is to absurd to believe. Joe does not leave Missy Mae for having the affair, but does handle the conflict in a passive manner. One morning he leaves the gold piece under the pillow for Missy Mae. They had sex for the first time since the affair the night before. At no point does the marriage end. They both continue through their setbacks. Missy Mae is pregnant and this seems to bring Joe back to his old self. By the end of the story they are back on an even playing field. They have successfully managed a marriage conflict. This conflict was brought on by a sacrifice. This marriage makes me question whether conflict only comes due to a sacrifice being made? In any case “The Gilded Six-Bits” presents us with a marriage which suffers through both sacrifice and conflict and comes out intact. I believe it is important to recognize Joe’s sacrifices as well. He comes to accept his wife’s infidelities, a sacrifice many in our world are not willing to make. This story shows us the strength of a marriage and the way we love our partner after a conflict. In comparing marriages, we must look at Mr. and Mrs. Waythorn from “The Other Room.” A similar ending as Joe and Missy Mae but in no way a similar journey to the