Yellow Wallpaper and Story of and Hour

Cathleen Whitaker The Importance of the Implied and Biographical Author in The Yellow Wallpaper** and The Story of an Hour For centuries women have been deemed the “angel of the hearth,” with the majority of their life centered on the running of the household, husbands, and children. The plight for gender equality is tactical effort to emphasize a woman’s ability to live beyond the “private sphere.” Kate Chopin’s’ The Story Of an Hour, and Charlotte-Perkin Gilman’s’ The_ Yellow Wallpaper_, today is considered masterpieces of the feminist movement. Both short stories deal with “middle aged women, who want to attain freedom, “(Block.) Although the stories are very similar in format (both women experience moments of hysteria and life changes) the importance of the biographical author in comparison to the implied author is relatively different. The Story of An Hour is meaningful without knowledge of Chopin’s past where as the Yellow Wallpaper transforms into another work entirely with Gilman’s’ background. The life of Chopin is not detrimental to understanding her work because writing for her was a means of a therapeutic outlet. After the loss of both her mother and husband within a very short period of time, Chopin became increasingly depressed. Her doctor, Frederick Kolbenheyer, told her to write as a means of coping with the depression. Writing for her was nothing more than a glorified therapist. In a PBS interview about the late Chopin it was determined that, “she was not a feminist…she saw freedom as much more a matter of spirit, soul, character of living your life within the constraint that the world makes, “(PBS.) Thus the Story of an Hour can be appreciated without much knowledge of her background. The first concept that makes the story substantial on its own is the fact that the narrator is omnipresent. By being able to speak about the characters without directly involving the reader in the story makes the story less personal. It does not require the reader to place themselves in the shoes of Mrs. Mallard, Jane or anyone. Instead the reader is able to take a backseat to the story and simply follow along in the sequence of events of the last hour of Mrs. Mallard’s life. When Mrs. Mallard hears about her husband’s death she “sees her future life throughout the tragedy of today,” (Moore, Julie.) Mrs. Mallard does not envision the death of her husband in the normal attitude that most women would, instead Chopin writes that, “she did not hear the story as many women have heard the same with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance,” (Chopin, 158) Mrs. Mallard knows exactly what it means to have her husband dead. She is to be a widow without the constraints of having to live for another person. She is “Free! Body and soul free,” (Chopin.) Mrs. Mallard is able to live by her own rules without having a spouse or partner to check in with, and make joint decisions. In other words, “there would be no one to live for in those coming years; she would live for herself,” (Chopin, 159) The short story that Kate Chopin’s writes can be open to interpretation with many viewing it from a feminist standpoint, but in reality the story alone without any knowledge of Chopin’s past can be viewed simply as a story that deals with death. The story can be changed to a man considering the death of his wife and still hold the same significance. Chopin is demonstrating through the Story of an Hour that joy in life comes from the breaking of the shackles that form in repressive relationships. Chopin believes that, “for us the real happiness can not exist without necessary conditions of freedom and equality,” (Moore, Julie.) By using pen and paper as her outlet for her depression, Chopin weaves intricate stories that deal with the loss of loved ones, and the desire for freedom however not gender specific. Although Chopin was an advocate in the strength of women she believed that “men and women do not have the right to impose a private will on a fellow creature,” (Chopin, 159) Her story is substantial enough without knowledge of her background because it openly deals with her emotions and can be applied to anyone. Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper becomes significantly more meaningful with the biographical information of Gilman’s past. After the birth of her daughter, Gilman entered a severe bought of post-partum depression. In her lifetime however little was known about mental hindrances after birth and she was deemed “nervous and hysterical.” Her Doctor, S Weir Mitchell, believed that the only way her depression could be cured was the enter a period of absolute rest. No household duties, no visitors, no children, and certainly no creative writing or any acts of art. Gilman says she followed the doctor’s advice but was in the end more depressed than before. She says, “I went home and followed those directions for a month and came perilously near to losing my mind,” (Lane, To Herland 121.) She decided to terminate her period of “rest” and began to write again quickly feeling better. Thus The Yellow Wallpaper is a direct response to her medical treatment and the preconceived notions of what women want. In the story the narrator says, “Personally I disagree with their ideas. Personally I believe that congenially work, with excitement and change would do me good. But what is one to do,” (Gilman, 313) This quote from the short story directly correlates with Gilman’s own feelings towards her treatment of her depression. The woman in the story much like Gilman doesn’t have any “control over her own body or her own medical treatment” (Moore, Julie) By not having the say so in her own medical treatment clearly shows Gilman’s desire for women to have a voice and a choice for their own accord. The narrator in the story is very important to the feminist tone of the story. Gilman knowing wrote the story in first person to get an active reader. The reader would be forced to enter the story as if it were her own life. By writing in first person the novel not only stands for Gilman’s past but also all women who experience oppression in their life. In the story the narrator wonders if more than one woman will appear from the wallpaper. She says, “I wonder if they all come out of the wallpaper as I did,” (Gilman, 324) Even the narrator of the story, much like biographical Gilman, believes that the story represents all women, not just the plight of one. The narrator says, “Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind,”(Gilman 324) By openly saying “a great many women” shows that Gilman’s story is much more than a tale of fiction. It is encompassing all women in its pages and speaking metaphorically for the oppression that they experienced during the 19th century. Being an individual during Gilman’s time was not openly accepted, instead the private sphere was the acceptable location for most women to reside and find happiness. During the time, “all women find themselves trapped behind horrendous patterns of restrictions from which it is impossible to escape,” (Moore.) Metaphorically the wallpaper produces an intricate prison from which the only way to escape is to cut it down and loose all “ties” that bind it to the wall. “Gilman’s woman forces us to understand that the wallpaper was the symbol of an unfair society that trapped women in rules that were detrimental to their growth and well being. They were expected to conform to behaviors and rules that made them less than the male,” (Moore.) By being patronized by her husband and doctor, the narrator of the short story is asserting Gilman’sbelief that men and women are not equal in the time. Gilman says, “John is away all day, and even some night his cases are serious. I am glad mine is not that serious,” (Gilman, 315) By saying “mine is not that serious,” the narrator is explaining that the woman takes a backseat to the husband’s duties. Although she is sick, her thoughts about her own wellbeing are overshadowed by her husband concept of what is best for her. The feminist tone to the story is no mistake and by understanding her past it is even more apparent. She writes the story with a conceded effort to help change other women’s life, “to change peoples minds about the role of women in her society, illustrating how women’s lack of autonomy is detrimental to their mental, emotional, and physical well being,” (Moore, Julie.) Gilman ultimately does the unthinkable in her past as a bold effort to show that a woman can live on her own; she divorces her husband and freely gives her daughter to him. Essentially she is void of any responsibilities to others and can therefore live according to her own rules. She “frees herself from her obligations as a women, her thoughts, her acts, her whole life would have be centered around a husband and children. To do the work she needed to she must be free of them,” (Lane, To Herland 85.) By knowing the details of Gilman’s life, The Yellow Wallpaper evolves from a story about a disturbed woman, to a manifesto for women and gender equality. The biographical author and the implied author of the story come together to create a powerful, emotional piece of literature. Chopin’s, The Story of an Hour, and Gilman’s, The Yellow Wallpaper, both paint a picture of suffering and the desire for freedom- to break the bonds of the “modern life.” Both use women in moments of utter hysterics to demonstrate how difficult it is to break away from societies concept of acceptable living. The main difference between the two stories is that in The Story Of An Hour the implied author is able to stand without the biographical knowledge of Chopin’s past. Chopin’s story is simply a therapeutic effort for her emotional release, whereas The Yellow Wallpaper takes on a different life with Gilman’s biographical author. The implied author and biographical author come together to form a powerful story about women suffrage and the desire for freedom. With her background the story is more credible. The Story of an Hour provided the healing that Chopin needed, and The Yellow Wallpaper transformed not only the medical treatment of depression in women but also gave women the chance to understand that it is ok to not be solely fulfilled by being simply a wife and mother. Works Citied Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour”. The Writer and Its Story. Bedford/St. Martins. Bostong: Charters, Anne, 2007, 158-160. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The Writer and Its Story. Bedford/St. Martins. Boston: Charters, Anne, 2007, 313-325. Block, Sarah. 20 Mar. 2009. The Yellow Wallpaper and The Story of an Hour; Women for Freedom. The Banyan Quartely. http://www.depts.clackamas.cc.or.us/banyan/2.2/block.html Lane, Ann J. Introduction. “_The Fictional World of Charlotte Perkins Gilman_.” New York: Penguin, 1990 Moore, Dolores. 20 Mar. 2009. Feminism in The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. http://www.helium.com/items/1150924-the-yellow-wallpaper-a-cry-for-womens-rights Moore, Julie. 20 Mar. 2009. _Kate Chopins “Story of an Hour” and The Roles of Women_. 27 Sep. 2007. Associated Content. http://www.helium.com/items/1150924-the-yellow-wallpaper-a-cry-for-womens-rights Moore, Julie. 20 Mar. 2009. _Comparing Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Wallpaper and Kate Chopins Story of an Hour_. 15 Jul. 2008. Associated Content. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/844411/comparing_charlotte_perkins_gilmans.html?cat=38 “Kate Chopin: A Re-Awakening.” 20 Mar. 2009. The Public Broadcast Service. 23, Jun. 1999. http://www.pbs.org/katechopin/