Comparing Kierkegaard And The Yellow Wallpaper

The room she occupies is barren, but shows signs of formerly being a nursery. It also possesses worn down, yellow wallpaper which Jane immediately despises. She describes it as, “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight...No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long” (Gilman). Without anything else to do, because of her therapy, Jane begins to study the wallpaper closely. She notices that there is a very intricate pattern to the paper and that almost impossibly, it changes. Soon, the wallpaper becomes an obsession to Jane as she spends hours attempting to decipher the inconceivable pattern. In addition to the pattern, she
The first part of this philosophy is that humans have a freedom of choice. Kierkegaard argues that, “...life is a series of choices and these choices bring meaning to our life” (Case). Basically, to live Existentially one must make it a priority to live as authentically as possible. These choices are what make humans unique and make life worth living. Every action made is a choice. This is a theory shared by both Kierkegaard and Sartre. According to Alasdair MacIntyre, “For Sartre it sometimes appears as if each separate action expresses an individual choice. Even if I do not choose, I have chosen not to choose” (McIntyre). Yet, to live a truly authentic lifestyle one must reject outside opinions that could influence their decisions. As stated by Luke Mastin, “Friedrich Nietzsche further contended that the individual must decide which situations are to count as moral situations. Thus, most Existentialists believe that personal experience and acting on one's own convictions are essential in arriving at the truth…” (Mastin). Nietzsche, another popular philosopher, is saying that a person must alone decide what is right and wrong. From there, they can live their lives as a true individual. Kierkegaard further stresses the importance of making choices without the aid of universal, objective standards (Mastin). For many Existentialists, this would include the rejection of modern science. Once a
Fifteen year old Charlie is the first character introduced to the audience. Quickly, they learn that Charlie suffers from anxiety and a dark history, including the recent suicide of his best friend. To help ease his struggles, he begins to write to an unknown friend. As the school year continues, Charlie acquires two new friends, Sam and Patrick, who are the catalysts to many of Charlie’s high school adventures. This combines, his first kiss, experimentation with drugs, and starring in the production Rocky Horror Picture Show. Unfortunately, his closest friends graduate and move off to college. Charlie, unable to bare his panic of loneliness has a mental breakdown and becomes hospitalized. After rehabilitation, and visits from his family, Charlie begins to become more hopeful for his life and makes the pact to become more involved in the world. This flick focuses generally on the importance of finding oneself. It also greatly shows the relevance of freedom of choice. One specific example of choice is towards the beginning of the story. Alone, Charlie attends a high school football game. Instead of sitting by himself, Charlie builds up the courage and makes the decision to sit next to Patrick, Sam later joins them. From here, Charlie meets his two best friends. Then again, later, Charlie makes the choice to attend a party with Sam and Patrick where he meets