Comparing the Yellow Wallpaper Story of an Hour

â€Å"Ball and Unchained† How much would you sacrifice to have the ability to make your own decisions? What would you do to be truly free; from debt, poverty, sadness, addiction, or from anything that causes you misery, pain or unhappiness? Would you risk insanity or even your life? Both â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin are two short stories that can today be categorized as feminist works of fiction. The main characters are females who are struggling for freedom from their husbands. Although the characters situations differ and the women react differently once they are aware of their suppression, the authors use similar motifs, imagery and themes. Both Gilman and Chopin use irony†¦show more content†¦The narrator believes that congenial work would do her good (326) and that writing is a relief for her troubled mind, but John forbids both. Instead he confines his wife to a room with barred windows and hideous yellow wa llpaper, does not allow her to exert herself physically or mentally, and prevents her from seeing her friends and family. While â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is arguably less detailed, there is no doubt that the main character, Louise Mallard, is also oppressed by her husband. Instead of feeling melancholy about the loss of her husband, Louise exalts in the freedom that Brently’s death has now given her, realizing that the years to come â€Å"would belong to her absolutely† (317). Her oppression has ended and she now has the liberty to do what she pleases. Instead of dreading living a long and repressed life with her husband, she is happy with the realization that her life will be long and full of independence. Chopin also writes, â€Å"A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime† (317). It is not that Louise’s husband is willingly choosing to deny power to his wife, but more so that marriage is inherently oppressive. It is only as the unnamed narrator in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† slips further into obsession and insanity does she begin to understand that she is not in total control of her life. The narrator begins to see a woman confined by the wallpaper and knows that the woman is a prisoner. She becomes fixated on freeingShow MoreRelatedComparing the Plots of The Yellow Wallpaper and The Story of an Hour875 Words   |  4 PagesWhen we compare contrast the two stories The Yellow Wallpaper vs. The Story of an Hour†. If we first look at the similarities that they have, they are both about women who are controlled by their husbands, and who desired freedom. But both women had different reasons for their freedom. It sounds as though both husbands had control over their lives and both women had an illness. But I don’t believe the husbands knew their wives were so miserable. So as we look at the lives of women back in theRead More Comparing Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper; and Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour1097 Words   |  5 PagesComparing Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper and Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour The Yellow Wallpaper;, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and The Story of an Hour;, by Kate Chopin, are alike in that both of the women in the stories were controlled by their husbands which caused them to feel an intense desire for freedom. Both stories were also written from a feminist point of view. However, the women in the stories had different life changes and different responses to theirRead MoreComparing The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin and The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman850 Words   |  4 PagesThe Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin are two very similar stories. 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It was extremely uncommon f or the average women to want to furtherRead MoreCompare and Contrast Essay3186 Words   |  13 Pagesimprisonment Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Story of an Hour,† and Charlotte Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† present similar plots about two wives who have grown to feel imprisoned in their own marriages. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† focuses on a woman who feels so entrapped in her own marriage that she begins to feel this type of isolation and imprisonment all around her. She begins to feel as though the room, in which she is being forced to stay in is a prison in itself. â€Å"Story of an Hour,† has a similar plot of aRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin And The Yellow Wallpaper1395 Words   |  6 PagesThe Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman written in the 1890s both reflect gender roles of this time, specifically women’s roles. In these stories both of the women are oppressed by their marriages, and by the end of the stories both wish to be rid of their husbands. Also, in both of these st ories these women experience mental illnesses, mainly depression. These illnesses were looked at as something minor during this time, was it because psychologistsRead MoreSince The 18Th Century, Society Has Evolved Immensely Especially1975 Words   |  8 Pagesor having their own opinions. Women were perceived as only a step up from children and men were perceived as the almighty. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a prominent American feminist takes charge and stands up for woman by writing the story The Yellow Wallpaper. In the story an unnamed narrator suffers from postpartum depression shortly after delivering a baby. However, her doctor who is also her husband, John misdiagnosis her with the condition hysteria and prescribes to her the resting cure. The resting