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Unfortunately, oppression of women is a severe and extended process that was especially active in the 1890s. A number of famous American writers of those years used their talent of choosing the right words to describe how women and men may oppress each other and deprive their beloved ones of freedom. What is more, sometimes it is essential to value movement and healthy work and not to underestimate the negative influence of being in an enclosed space. Two short stories, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, are simultaneously similar and different. Their powerfulness does not leave readers indifferent, and the topic covered in an unusual way makes them think about many various things and phenomena.
To begin with, it is essential to notice that the events of both stories mostly take place in just one room, and the main characters are deprived of the possibility of leaving the house. Thus, domestic space has an increased influence on the main characters and plays a significant role in the development of actions, especially in “The Yellow Wallpaper” (Perkins Gilman, 1892). The narrator, a highly expressive and imaginative woman with nervous depression, is almost locked in a room by her husband, who is her doctor, too. Though this measure is required precisely by her treatment, this lockdown contributes to the narrator’s poor mental state and leads to severe consequences (Perkins Gilman, 1892). The woman starts hallucinating and using her imagination in an excessive way, which slowly turns her insane. Ironically, her husband perceived the prohibition to go outside as a restorative measure and the room as a safe place, but it turned out the other way around. The lack of movement and curing work resulted in the narrator’s decreased mental health.
The situation is a little bit different in “The Story of an Hour.” Though the events of this literary work take place in a room, too, the level and type of influence on the character are different. Louise Mallard, the main character, becomes aware of her husband’s recent death and locks herself in a room. While sitting in an armchair “facing the open window,” she allows her mind to jump randomly from one thought to another until she realizes what a new and unusual feeling she began to experience after receiving the news (Chopin, 1894, para. 4). Though Louise Mallard suggests that she becomes “body and soul free,” there is actually no escape out of the domestic setting (Chopin, 1894, para. 12). What is more, while the world outside seems scary and dangerous but appears safer, the Mallard’s house and Louise’s room, in particular, are the actual place of death.
Another interesting feature of these two stories is the unique role of doors and windows in the turning points of the plots. In “The Story of an Hour,” Louise Mallard is looking precisely out the window when realizing her freedom. For her, that window is a way to briefly recall her past and look into her future (Chopin, 1894). At the same time, the door is the source of danger and death for Louise when she sees her alive husband standing on the threshold. As for “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator also spends her time gazing out of a window. When her husband sees her becoming insane, he faints in the doorway, which may symbolize his inability to enter his wife’s world of hallucinations and imagination (Perkins Gilman, 1892). Thus, simply entering through a door or looking out a window can play a key role in the plot of a literary work.
References
Chopin, K. (1894). The story of an hour. Owl Eyes. Web.
Perkins Gilman, C. (1892). The yellow wallpaper. Owl Eyes. Web.
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