THE STORY OF AN HOUR AND THE YELLOW WALLPAPER ANALYSIS

Adam, Ashleigh, Esteban and Nigel

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER SUMMARY

THE STORY PART 1 Story is written in first person The story is about a woman who’s going through ‘Rest-Cure-Treatment’ (She really

has postpartum depression) an upstairs room with yellow wallpaper and scratched up floors and bars on the windows. (It’s believed by ‘John’ that the house use to be a orphanage

As the story continue she defies her husband and goes against the treatment by writing in her journal about the events happening around her. She talks about the true nature of things and her life as a wife. She also describes the wallpaper and designs.

STORY PART 2 At the end of the story in a act of madness the main female protagonist has a mental

breakdown and believes she’s stuck in the wall but in reality she is outside of the wall.

She begins to walk around in circles in the room and crawl against the wall trying to feel the pattern and help the escaped woman in the yellow wallpaper escape.

At the very end of the story the husband comes in and see’s his wife in this insane state and faints while the wife continues her insane actions.

THE STORY OF AN HOUR SUMMARY

THE STORY OF AN HOURThe story is about Ms. Millard When the female protagonist gets a telegraph that her husband is dead instead of

feeling depression or sadness she feels joy. She imagines all the things she’s able to now that her husband is dead. She expresses the feeling as true freedom. When the doorbell rings and her husband is at the door she dies from a heart-attack.

COMPARISON A common theme between the two stories is that, the stories feature women who

both were abused and or neglected by their husbands in a way. They also suffered through psychological trauma. These stories involve women trying to discover freedom from society's standards. Both women are restricted from doing what they truly want.

THEMEGender roles and oppression of women

19th century women seen as house wives roles included bearing and raising children, housekeeping, and cooking. Women should be content in their roles Men had all the say Women considered weak

GENDER ROLES AND THE OPPRESSION OF WOMEN

The Story of an Hour Dominated by husband Relief rather the sadness Lack of freedom -“Free! Body and soul free!”.

GENDER ROLES AND THE OPPRESSION OF WOMEN

The Yellow Wallpaper Not allowed to read or write Patronized with nicknames Vetoes wishes Doesn't listen to her Only his ideas matter Nothing but, hysteria

SYMBOLISM“The Yellow Wallpaper”: The husband, John, serves as a symbol of social, intellectual, domestic, and physical

dominance. The wallpaper is a symbol of her mental state.

“The Story of an Hour”: Ms. Mallard receives a telegram that her husband is dead. This symbolizes how new

technology like telegrams creates more time alone for women.

RELEVANCE TO TODAY'S WORLDThe yellow wallpaperDepression is real If not treated or treated incorrectly it can get worst and lead to unwanted

circumstances such as suicide Her freedom was taken away and was put in a house to do nothing while receiving

the “rest cure”, this method is not used in today's treatment for depression. Woman did not have the same treatment as men

Story of an hourMarriage,happiness, freedom and oppression Once you marry you give up on part of your freedom since you become one with

your partner, thus your way of thinking must change. If a married couple are happy it does not mean they are free Happiness and freedom are separate Do some people value freedom more than happiness?

REFERENCE The Yellow Wallpaper - Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, and Dale M. Bauer. The Yellow Wallpaper.

Boston: Bedford, 1998. Print.

The Story Of An Hour - Chopin, Kate, and Kate Chopin. The Story of an Hour. Logan, IA: Perfection Learning, 2001. Print.

Foote, Jeremy. “Speed That Kills: The Role Of Technology In Kate Chopin's THE STORY OF AN HOUR." Explicator 71.2 (2013): 85-89. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Aug. 2016.

Johnson, Greg. "Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Rage And Redemption In "The Yellow Wallpaper." Studies In Short Fiction 26.4 (1989): 521-530. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Aug. 2016.