In Of Mice and Men and The Yellow Wallpaper, John Steinbeck and Charlotte Perkins Gilman use strong elements of literary techniques to create and convey the idea of a futile existence. In the texts, hopes and dreams are explored through characterisation, imagery and symbolism to represent the idea of a futile existence. The concept of dreams to show the character’s hope and aspiration, determination for a better future, and to illustrate the difficulties of survival, with unrealised dreams illuminating the dark despair of society at that time.
Characterisation
With Charlotte Perkins Gilman's unreliable narrator, the depiction of the other characters involved in the narrative of "The Yellow Wallpaper" are, of course, tinted by her perspective. …show more content…
In the bunkhouse, the ‘small square windows’ symbolize that there is little light let into the bunkhouse, and little hope for the men who live there. Similarly, through detailed visual imagery, Gilman gives us an extremely vivid mental picture of the main character’s surroundings. Having a solid image of these surroundings helps readers understand what the woman in the story is going through. It is through her eyes that we see the house, the grounds, the room, and the yellow wallpaper. The house plays a great role in the story also to Of mice and Men. As ‘the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows’, this signifies the little hope in the bunk house only helps to further illuminate the darkness and harshness of society. In a setting, such as the ranch in Of Mice and Men and the house in The Yellow Wallpaper, dreams are suppressed and suffocated, through imagery the authors create a clear picture that the characters rely on their dreams to get …show more content…
It develops into a symbol for their relationship, and the retelling of the dream has become a ritual. This is the place where George and Lennie will have self-respect and independence. Likewise, The Yellow Wallpaper is driven by the narrator’s sense that the wallpaper is a text she must interpret, that it symbolises something that affects her directly. Accordingly, the wallpaper develops its symbolism throughout the story. At first it seems merely unpleasant: it is ripped, soiled, and an “unclean yellow.” The worst part is the allegedly formless pattern, which fascinates the narrator as she attempts to figure out how it is organized. After staring at the paper for hours, she sees a ghostly sub-pattern behind the main pattern, visible only in certain light. In Of Mice and Men, they will live off the ‘fat of the land, and no one will tell them what to do’. At the farm, George will also have an easier time keeping track of Lennie. When Candy offers the money to put down a payment, the symbol begins to become a reality. Unfortunately, the dream is an enchanted concept, and once its reality becomes possible, it begins to die. Eventually, the sub-pattern comes into focus as a desperate woman, constantly crawling and stooping, looking for an escape from behind the main pattern, which has come to resemble the bars of a cage.
Characterisation
With Charlotte Perkins Gilman's unreliable narrator, the depiction of the other characters involved in the narrative of "The Yellow Wallpaper" are, of course, tinted by her perspective. …show more content…
In the bunkhouse, the ‘small square windows’ symbolize that there is little light let into the bunkhouse, and little hope for the men who live there. Similarly, through detailed visual imagery, Gilman gives us an extremely vivid mental picture of the main character’s surroundings. Having a solid image of these surroundings helps readers understand what the woman in the story is going through. It is through her eyes that we see the house, the grounds, the room, and the yellow wallpaper. The house plays a great role in the story also to Of mice and Men. As ‘the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows’, this signifies the little hope in the bunk house only helps to further illuminate the darkness and harshness of society. In a setting, such as the ranch in Of Mice and Men and the house in The Yellow Wallpaper, dreams are suppressed and suffocated, through imagery the authors create a clear picture that the characters rely on their dreams to get …show more content…
It develops into a symbol for their relationship, and the retelling of the dream has become a ritual. This is the place where George and Lennie will have self-respect and independence. Likewise, The Yellow Wallpaper is driven by the narrator’s sense that the wallpaper is a text she must interpret, that it symbolises something that affects her directly. Accordingly, the wallpaper develops its symbolism throughout the story. At first it seems merely unpleasant: it is ripped, soiled, and an “unclean yellow.” The worst part is the allegedly formless pattern, which fascinates the narrator as she attempts to figure out how it is organized. After staring at the paper for hours, she sees a ghostly sub-pattern behind the main pattern, visible only in certain light. In Of Mice and Men, they will live off the ‘fat of the land, and no one will tell them what to do’. At the farm, George will also have an easier time keeping track of Lennie. When Candy offers the money to put down a payment, the symbol begins to become a reality. Unfortunately, the dream is an enchanted concept, and once its reality becomes possible, it begins to die. Eventually, the sub-pattern comes into focus as a desperate woman, constantly crawling and stooping, looking for an escape from behind the main pattern, which has come to resemble the bars of a cage.