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Analysis of Protagonists in The Necklace and The Yellow Wallpaper
Essay Instructions:
Your essay should present a clear, insightful central idea, should have a clear sense of order and logic, should be well developed with specific details to support your assertions, and should use effective language that is free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Avoid plot summaries and provide quotations from the text to support your ideas. Also, be sure to spend ample time writing and revising your essay.
Avoid summary in your essays; all writing should be directly tied to proving your argument and furthering your analysis of the works. Be sure to spend significant time directly comparing the works that you choose to write about.
This is a Research Essay, and you must include at least four secondary scholarly sources (not Wikipedia or other study guide sites). Do not simply repeat what someone else has concluded; instead, offer your own commentary or insight on what you have learned from your outside sources. You must also properly quote or paraphrase, including citations in MLA form.
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The Tragedy of Female Confinement: An Analysis of Protagonists in The Necklace and The Yellow Wallpaper
This paper examines the short stories The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, two iconic works of nineteenth-century literature that demonstrate distinct writing styles. The Necklace was first published in 1884 and followed the tale of a young woman who dreams of a better life (Henry, 2017), while The Yellow Wallpaper, available since 1892, is about a woman struggling with mental illness and the pressures of social expectations (Siegel, 1997). Through close analysis of the characters and themes presented in these narratives, this paper will explore how both authors use their craft to scrutinize the constraints of gender roles and the psychological effects of repression. Both works demonstrate the devastating effects of gender roles and repression on the female protagonists. Mathilde in The Necklace is limited by her lack of financial resources and inability to have the luxuries she desires. At the same time, the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper is restrained by her husband’s expectations and refusal to recognize her autonomy. These stories illustrate women’s encounters in a patriarchal society and how a lack of freedom can culminate in psychological unrest.
Effects of gender roles and Repression
The main characters in both stories, Mathilde Loisel in The Necklace and the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper experience the suffocating effects of gender roles and repression. In Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” Mathilde Loisel is restricted by gender roles and expectations as she faces a situation of limited opportunity and a lack of freedom. Mathilde cannot have the indulgences she desires because she was born into a family of clerks and does not have a dowry or any means of becoming wealthy. Despite this, she is still envious of her rich friends and wishes for the same luxuries they have. Mathilde’s husband tries to make her happy by inviting her to a party at the Ministry. However, she is still discontent and worries about having nothing to wear, stating, “There is nothing more humiliating than looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich women (Maupassant, p5)”. This exemplifies the gender roles of the time and the expectation of women to be beautiful, fashionable, and wealthy to be socially accepted. Mathilde can get a beautiful dress with the help of her husband but still lacks jewelry to complete her look. This is the final blow for her and shows the stark contrast between her and her wealthy peers.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” features a narrator whose individual freedom is restrained by the expectations of a patriarchal society. The narrator is married to a physician who does not understand her need for creative work and intellectual stimulation. In her frustration, she remarks, “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage. John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures (Gilman. par 4).” John’s refusal to recognize her emotions and her attempts to express them signify the inequality of power between the two in their relationship, as it demonstrates his need to dominate and control her. This is further highlighted when he insists that they take the nursery at the top of the house and his cautioning her not to write or give in to her “fancies” (Gilman. par 52). In this way, Gilman portrays how a patriarchal society is oppressive and constraining, lacking recognition of women's autonomy and power.
The two narratives of Mathilde and the narrator, analyzed herein, offer a glimpse into women’s harrowing realities in a patriarchal society. The oppressive gender roles and expectations placed upon them inhibit their ability to pursue their aspirations. In the case of Mathilde, the rigid class structures of her society limit her mobility and, eventually, her success, whereas, for the narrator, the traditional patriarchal edifices of her marriage stifle her freedom and autonomy. This relative analysis thus serves to underscore the predicament of women living in a male-dominated society, highlighting the difficulties they face daily.
Adopting Literary techniques to bring out character traits
Guy de Maupassant utilizes sophisticated literary techniques to powerfully emphasize Mathilde's constricted life and the dismal situation in “The Necklace.” The narrator presents her as someone "born, as if by an error of fate, into a family of clerks" (Maupassant, p2), implying that she is subject to the constraints of poverty, unable to exercise agency to escape her predetermined circumstances. Furthermore, Maupassant astutely showcases the struggle between Mathilde's delusions of grandeur and her austere reality through ...
Institution of Affiliation
Course Code
Instructor
The Tragedy of Female Confinement: An Analysis of Protagonists in The Necklace and The Yellow Wallpaper
This paper examines the short stories The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, two iconic works of nineteenth-century literature that demonstrate distinct writing styles. The Necklace was first published in 1884 and followed the tale of a young woman who dreams of a better life (Henry, 2017), while The Yellow Wallpaper, available since 1892, is about a woman struggling with mental illness and the pressures of social expectations (Siegel, 1997). Through close analysis of the characters and themes presented in these narratives, this paper will explore how both authors use their craft to scrutinize the constraints of gender roles and the psychological effects of repression. Both works demonstrate the devastating effects of gender roles and repression on the female protagonists. Mathilde in The Necklace is limited by her lack of financial resources and inability to have the luxuries she desires. At the same time, the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper is restrained by her husband’s expectations and refusal to recognize her autonomy. These stories illustrate women’s encounters in a patriarchal society and how a lack of freedom can culminate in psychological unrest.
Effects of gender roles and Repression
The main characters in both stories, Mathilde Loisel in The Necklace and the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper experience the suffocating effects of gender roles and repression. In Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” Mathilde Loisel is restricted by gender roles and expectations as she faces a situation of limited opportunity and a lack of freedom. Mathilde cannot have the indulgences she desires because she was born into a family of clerks and does not have a dowry or any means of becoming wealthy. Despite this, she is still envious of her rich friends and wishes for the same luxuries they have. Mathilde’s husband tries to make her happy by inviting her to a party at the Ministry. However, she is still discontent and worries about having nothing to wear, stating, “There is nothing more humiliating than looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich women (Maupassant, p5)”. This exemplifies the gender roles of the time and the expectation of women to be beautiful, fashionable, and wealthy to be socially accepted. Mathilde can get a beautiful dress with the help of her husband but still lacks jewelry to complete her look. This is the final blow for her and shows the stark contrast between her and her wealthy peers.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” features a narrator whose individual freedom is restrained by the expectations of a patriarchal society. The narrator is married to a physician who does not understand her need for creative work and intellectual stimulation. In her frustration, she remarks, “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage. John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures (Gilman. par 4).” John’s refusal to recognize her emotions and her attempts to express them signify the inequality of power between the two in their relationship, as it demonstrates his need to dominate and control her. This is further highlighted when he insists that they take the nursery at the top of the house and his cautioning her not to write or give in to her “fancies” (Gilman. par 52). In this way, Gilman portrays how a patriarchal society is oppressive and constraining, lacking recognition of women's autonomy and power.
The two narratives of Mathilde and the narrator, analyzed herein, offer a glimpse into women’s harrowing realities in a patriarchal society. The oppressive gender roles and expectations placed upon them inhibit their ability to pursue their aspirations. In the case of Mathilde, the rigid class structures of her society limit her mobility and, eventually, her success, whereas, for the narrator, the traditional patriarchal edifices of her marriage stifle her freedom and autonomy. This relative analysis thus serves to underscore the predicament of women living in a male-dominated society, highlighting the difficulties they face daily.
Adopting Literary techniques to bring out character traits
Guy de Maupassant utilizes sophisticated literary techniques to powerfully emphasize Mathilde's constricted life and the dismal situation in “The Necklace.” The narrator presents her as someone "born, as if by an error of fate, into a family of clerks" (Maupassant, p2), implying that she is subject to the constraints of poverty, unable to exercise agency to escape her predetermined circumstances. Furthermore, Maupassant astutely showcases the struggle between Mathilde's delusions of grandeur and her austere reality through ...
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