Get Paranoid and Creep On

Although Gilman leaves us with a somewhat ambiguous ending, I would argue that the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper is absolutely Jane: a woman with an overbearing husband, possibly postpartum depression, and most definitely schizophrenia.

            The clearest evidence of her schizophrenia appears at the very end when the narrator exclaims, “I've got out at last…in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!” (Gilman 10). We had discussed in class the possibility of Jane having Dissociative Identity Disorder (commonly known as split personality), however, Ms. Bumgarner’s point that she does not switch back and forth got me thinking. First of all, the ending clearly supports the idea that the narrator (Jane in this case) had schizophrenia and suddenly broke from reality and “became” the woman in the wallpaper. More than that, though, several of the narrator’s nervous behaviors throughout the short story could also be explained by schizophrenia. For example, towards the middle of the story, Jane begins to get paranoid that her husband and Jeannie are acting weird and hiding things from her.

“I have watched John when he did not know I was looking, and come into the room suddenly on the most innocent excuses, and I've caught him several times looking at the paper! And Jennie too. I caught Jennie with her hand on it once. She didn't know I was in the room, and when I asked her in a quiet, a very quiet voice, with the most restrained manner possible, what she was doing with the paper - she turned around as if she had been caught stealing, and looked quite angry” (Gilman 7).

This type of suspicious and paranoid behavior is very characteristic of schizophrenic individuals. They are so caught up in their delusional world that they often cannot tell the difference between the two, or, in Jane’s case, believe that those around them are also absorbed in this world.

            Another interesting factor that points to the idea that the narrator is Jane with schizophrenia is the way in which she seems to suddenly transform from a fairly sane person (possibly stricken with depression, postpartum or otherwise) into a delusional, creeping woman who tears up the walls (and possibly kills her husband?). Oftentimes, people with schizophrenia in their family will go a majority of their lives without experiencing signs of inheriting the disease until around their mid-twenties. We can assume that the narrator is in her early to mid-twenties due to the fact that she is a woman in the 19^th century who just had her first child, thus putting her psychotic break at approximately the perfect time to suggest schizophrenia. Her age combined with the torture of the resting cure that would drive anyone at least a little insane was the perfect formula for a schizophrenic break from reality.

Works Cited

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. N.p., n.d. United States Library of Medicine.

Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Heart of Darkness as Gothic Literature

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness fits perfectly into the genre of Gothic Literature for several reasons, one of which being its abundance of supernatural elements, a major theme of the club. Take Wuthering Heights, for example, in which Catherine’s ghost roams from the very beginning. The most obvious example of similar supernatural elements within Heart of Darkness is Conrad’s allusion to the Fates towards the beginning of the story. When Marlow enters the office in Belgium, he is greeted by two old women who are knitting black wool and “guarding the door to Darkness” (Conrad 16). Conrad’s description of these women makes it obvious that they represent the Fates who are “knitting” the black thread of fate. Not only is this a substantial example of supernatural elements, but Marlow also runs in to several other supernatural situations, such as Kurtz’s ominous last words: “the horror, the horror” (Conrad).

Aside from the explicitly supernatural elements of Heart of Darkness, there are also many moments of pure horror woven throughout the text. Some of these horrific moments are literal moments that occur to and around Marlow, such as when he notices the human heads being used as decoration on Kurtz’s fence. The constant demise of characters within the book, such as the man that Marlow replaces as well as Maslow’s helmsman, also contributes to the literal horror within the novel. More importantly, though, as the title suggests, many of these horrific moments that help categorize Heart of Darkness as a Gothic novel occur within the hearts of the men that Marlow meets. From the evil of the greedy manager, to the lunacies of the mentally ill Kurtz, to the obscure traditions of the natives, Marlow sees the different types of evil within their hearts, thus contributing to Heart of Darkness as a perfect example of a piece of Gothic literature.

Works Cited

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York, Penguins: 1999. Print.

Jane Eyre and Madness

Mental illness is just about the last thing you would want to have in 19^th century England, or really anywhere in the 19^th century. During this time in our history, our knowledge and research of mental health was very minimal, resulting in the misdiagnosis and immense mistreatment of those unfortunate individuals. While those with severe mental illnesses were often institutionalized (which were their own horror in themselves), many people who suffered with things like depression and even mild schizophrenia were often simply shamed and hidden from the world.

Unfortunately, this imprisonment would often drive people even madder, as was the case with Bertha in Jane Eyre. Rochester was so embarrassed and horrified by his new wife’s insanity that instead of trying to cure her, he locks her up in his basement and leaves her there for years. You can see from comments such as Rochester’s aside that “since the medical man had pronounced her mad, she had, of course, been shut up” that simply locking someone away was a very common response to mental illness in 19^th century England (Bronte 292).

What’s even more interesting is the parallels between Bertha’s extreme insanity and Jane’s mild madness. Both Bertha and Jane exhibit insane behaviors such as seeing things that are not there and violent outbursts, however each of their stories have very different endings. This divergence in their lives could stem from Jane’s strong moral code and respect for herself that she clings to throughout the entire book. We can see this moral code begin when she is young, explaining to Helen Burns that if you don’t retaliate against someone, they will never learn to treat you better, but the contrast to Bertha is strongest in Jane’s interactions with Rochester. While Bertha marries Rochester because her family tells her to, Jane refuses to marry Rochester unlawfully (and even refuses to Mary St. John because she doesn't love him). This contrast between the levels of madness and resulting outcomes of these characters emphasizes the idea that echoes throughout all of Jane Eyre: if you stay true to your moral code, you can completely change your life.

Works Cited: Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Bantam Books, 1987. Print.

*Disclaimer: This post was written while sick and tired, I apologize for any inconveniences.

Drop of Lucifer

Milton’s Paradise Lost is known for his unique depiction of Lucifer, a character who has so many more dimensions than simply the evil tempter. The most obvious characteristic that Milton gives his Lucifer is hubris. Lucifer is an Archangel that feels so strongly that he is God’s equal that he is kicked out of Heaven. As Lucifer himself explains, “(God) whom reason hath equaled, force hath made supreme above his equals” (Milton 248-249). In other words, Lucifer feels that he, and many others, are just as intelligent as God, and the only reason that God rules over everyone else is because he has more brute force. I don’t know that one could get more conceded than literally thinking that he is as smart (if not smarter than) God. Something that does come close, though, is Milton’s belief that he is wise enough to explain the ways of God to everyone, which adds to the assertion that Milton actually identifies with Lucifer rather than God.

Another layer of Lucifer that Milton adds is his humanistic attitudes. Unlike most Christians and followers of God, Lucifer relies on his own reason and his own mind to make himself happy. He sees himself as the maker of his own destiny, to the point in which he asserts that “the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven” (Milton 254-255). This sentiment goes hand-in-hand with Lucifer’s hubris, in that he believes that he does not need God to be happy, in fact, he can make himself happier in Hell than God ever could in Heaven.

Through Milton’s introduction of Lucifer’s opinions, though, we as readers can view the fall of Lucifer from his perspective, and possibly even have sympathy for him. This perspective switch has deeply affected the way good and especially evil are portrayed, adding the different shades of gray to literature. One example of this perspective switch is with the anti-hero, Heathcliff, in Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff is domineering and aggressive, but the reader finds herself rooting for Heathcliff more than anyone else because we see his back story full of abandonment, childhood abuse, and a broken heart. There are many other examples of this perspective switch, such as Grendel’s retelling of Beowulf, all of which were influenced by the path that Milton paved with Lucifer’s conceded yet relatable Lucifer.

Works Cited

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Ed. Scott Elledge. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1975.

The Tempest Reaction Post

            Many critics debate over the category of romance for Shakespeare’s plays; however, it is clear to me as I read the parameters set for romance plays that the Tempest is a prime example of one of Shakespeare’s romances. Not only does The Tempest not quite fit into the parameters of comedy or tragedy, but it also has clear elements that link it to the other plays deemed as romances.

            Take his commonly known comedies, for example. Many of us have read some of these plays, such as Twelfth Night and Midsummer’s Night Dream, and can attest to the fact that they fit into the comic parameters of a lighthearted and comic plot, along with developed characters who all magically get a happy ending (not necessarily literal magic, more like deus ex machina). The Tempest does include some of these elements, such as Prospero’s quick change of heart leading to everyone’s happiness, even Caliban’s. However, there are many elements of The Tempest that disqualify it from the category of comedy, most notably its serious plot. Almost all of the characters in the Tempest deal with serious issues such as family betrayal and the threat of death throughout the entire play, which is uncharacteristic of a comedy.

            On the other hand, The Tempest does not fit into the category of tragedy either, most notably because no one dies at the end. As Schwartz describes, “While tragedy emphasizes evil, and comedy minimizes it, romance acknowledges evil -- the reality of human suffering” (Schwartz). Unlike comedies, the Tempest does not minimize evil with a comic and light-hearted plot, as we can see through the several accounts of brotherly betrayal, such as when Antonio suggests to Sebastian that they kill Alonso and “lay (him) to bed forever,” so that Sebastian can become King of Naples (Shakespeare, 90). However, The Tempest does not emphasize evil either, because not only do Sebastian and Antonio not kill Alonso, but Prospero also decides to throw away his magic and spare everyone in exchange for regaining his Dukedom. Evil is definitely present in this play, and plays a large part in many of the main character’s motives and even small actions, such as Prospero’s poor treatment of Caliban, but the evil does not consume all, so The Tempest really does not fit into the category of Tragedy either.

            Even more importantly, though, The Tempest fits perfectly into the parameters for a Shakespearean romance. Even by simply looking at Schwartz’s six main characteristics of Shakespearean romances, we can see that the Tempest is a perfect fit. First of all, the play begins with a back-story of brotherly betrayal, dating back for almost the entirety of Miranda’s life, which cause the current scenes to unfold. As the play continues, we see more and more Shakespearean romance elements, such as the dichotomy between the civilized characters and the uncivilized Caliban, the improbably magical Ariel, and the virtuous love between Ferdinand and Miranda. Finally, the play culminates with a happy ending and theme of redemption through Prospero forgiving his brother and taking back his Dukedom.

Works Cited:

Schwartz, Debora B. "Shakespeare's Four Final Plays: The Romances." 2005.Web. 14 January

2015.

Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 1985. Print.