Comparing The Yellow Wallpaper And The Story Of An Hour

Women have been viewed as the inferior sex in the domestic sphere for ages and the protagonists in Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” are both examples of women suffering in their own marriages. Both protagonists of the stories have their lives ruined through the confinement that they feel. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator listens to her husband’s suggestions as she is expected to do, which slowly makes her insane. While in “The Story of an Hour,” the return of the confinement in Mrs. Mallard's life literally kills her. While it is easy to blame the overpowering image of the men in both of these stories for the oppression the protagonists faced, the authors make it clear through
the setting and themes that the protagonists were victims of the society that they lived in; a society that had unwritten standards for perfect wives.
The societal rules were undoubtedly the root of both protagonists’ conflicts with themselves.
At the time, women were expected to both maintain a perfect public picture and to be a socially ideal wife. Even the smallest blemish to a woman’s public image could follow her around and make life harder. This mindset played a critical role in oppressing both Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator. While it may seem odd that the women never confronted their husbands or ended their relationships, that is because the women are restricted in what they can do if the feel oppressed as a result of these unwritten standards. This is especially noticeable in “The Story of an Hour,” as Mrs. Mallard does not let anyone know her inner thoughts and only shows her joy when she is alone, proving that no one else knew her true feelings likely because she saw them as incriminating. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator wants to discuss her mental condition with others, but gives in to her husband’s suggestions and “talks about the house” instead; likely to seem more socially ideal and to keep the public image of the household nice (Gilman 548). In general, the women had so much pressure on them to seem perfect, that they chose to keep their feelings
withheld. The next logical step is to blame the husbands in the story for causing the pressure on their wives, but the mindset has to do with the social setting they were brought up with and is not the fault of the individual characters.
This is because the men likely never saw any other way to run a house; the images of a male dictated household were perhaps all they have known. This vicious dynamic cycle was likely the result of many years of the same upbringing. More importantly, the men in the stories did not know what mental stress they were imposing upon their wives. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator tries to explain her inner feelings to her husband but fails “ be­cause he loves [her] so.” (Gilman 553). Since the husband never knew, it is understandable that he thought he was helping his wife. Although harder to see in “The Story of an Hour,” as the husband was not present for the majority of the story, it can still be assumed that Mrs. Mallard’s husband did not know he was oppressing his wife. This is not only because Mrs. Mallard admits that “she had loved him,” but also because even the doctors assume that she died from joy, proving Mrs. Mallard was not clear that she was unhappy (Chopin 1175). The men had faults for not asking their wives what they think, but generally speaking the oppressive tone was not directly from the husband
respectively.
Although the male characters may have had faults, these stories highlight how the issues of the domestic sphere are part of a more of a larger societal issue. The stories seem almost identical in the way that they represent similar themes, and that is because they were both written with the purpose of initiating awareness for the need for a change. However, Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is more effective as the narrator challenges her role and defies her husband by secretly writing despite being told not to; which helped her get away. This one key difference highlights the importance of finding a release from social constraints to readers. Although small, this relatable concept offers a real-world solution instead of just raising awareness like Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” While all relationships are different in their own aspects, societal pressure to conform to the “perfect” life can not only ruin a relationship, but ruin a mind or stop a heart from beating.