Comparing The Yellow Wallpaper And Eveline
The short stories “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Eveline” James Joyce both deal struggles of a female protagonist. Both women deal with oppression based on gender and societal norms but their outlook, outside influences, and personal struggles are vastly different.
The point of view in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is in first person from a journal written by a mother who is suffering from depression. She is isolated from the world by her husband John and brother, both of whom are licensed physicians, that order her to minimal activity, which is believed to cure her of depression and hysterical tendencies she suffers from (Gilman 746). The narrator disagrees with her husband and continues writing against his wishes to occupy …show more content…
By following the orders from John and without any way of occupying her time, she develops an obsessive compulsion to watch the wallpaper constantly searching for the woman trapped inside it. She hides this obsession from others and becomes possessive of the wallpaper when she catches Jennie touching it “determined that nobody shall find it out but myself?” (Gilman 735). Eveline is influenced by her parents and sacrifices her desire to move to Buenos Aries with Frank and remains in Dublin to take care of the house. Eveline longed to be saved from her abusive father and hard life of poverty. Looking out a window of her dusty home she hears someone on the street playing an organ that reminds her of the promise she made to her mother to lead a domestic life, which was expected from women of that time. When her opportunity arrives to leave her life in Dublin behind, Eveline “clutched the iron in frenzy” as Frank tried to lead her on the ship (Joyce 667). Eveline’s fear of commitment and change is what convinced her to remain home where she will likely end up like her mother like she
The point of view in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is in first person from a journal written by a mother who is suffering from depression. She is isolated from the world by her husband John and brother, both of whom are licensed physicians, that order her to minimal activity, which is believed to cure her of depression and hysterical tendencies she suffers from (Gilman 746). The narrator disagrees with her husband and continues writing against his wishes to occupy …show more content…
By following the orders from John and without any way of occupying her time, she develops an obsessive compulsion to watch the wallpaper constantly searching for the woman trapped inside it. She hides this obsession from others and becomes possessive of the wallpaper when she catches Jennie touching it “determined that nobody shall find it out but myself?” (Gilman 735). Eveline is influenced by her parents and sacrifices her desire to move to Buenos Aries with Frank and remains in Dublin to take care of the house. Eveline longed to be saved from her abusive father and hard life of poverty. Looking out a window of her dusty home she hears someone on the street playing an organ that reminds her of the promise she made to her mother to lead a domestic life, which was expected from women of that time. When her opportunity arrives to leave her life in Dublin behind, Eveline “clutched the iron in frenzy” as Frank tried to lead her on the ship (Joyce 667). Eveline’s fear of commitment and change is what convinced her to remain home where she will likely end up like her mother like she