Tell-Tale Heart and The Yellow Wallpaper Notes

The Tell-Tale Heart

Perspective and Sacrifice

• The young man's perspective: Killing the old man is a form of sacrifice necessary to get rid of the eye.
• He doesn't hate the old man and would prefer him to survive.
• Old man's perspective: Betrayal
• Perspective is crucial; understanding the narrator's viewpoint is essential, not to justify actions but to understand them.
• Negative sacrifice: A sacrifice perceived as necessary by the individual but not by reality.

Justification and Hubris

• People often justify their actions and make excuses for negative behaviors.
• The narrator tries to convince the audience of his sanity to justify his actions.
• This behavior is rooted in hubris (pride), as he believes he is smarter than others, including the police.
• Example: He invites the police into his house and has tea with them, risking exposure.
• He could have easily left town and changed his identity without being caught due to the limitations of tracking people at the time.

The Heartbeat and Confession

• The narrator hears the heartbeat growing louder, believing the police can hear it too.
• He thinks the police are mocking him, trying to drive him insane.
• His pride prevents him from breaking, but eventually, he does, leading to confession.
• Many criminals, driven by pride, confess when they find a sympathetic listener among the police.

Guilt and Loss

• The narrator feels a genuine sense of loss and guilt after killing the old man, even though he tries to rationalize it.
• He loved and respected the old man but felt the murder was a necessity.
• This guilt, combined with his hubris, drives him to confess.

Themes

• Love and Friendship: The story explores a friendship between the old man and the young man that ultimately fails to overcome the young man's fear of the eye.
• Fear: The primary motivator for the young man is fear of the eye and its potential manipulation.
• Gothic Fiction: Hidden ideas and motivations, as well as deception, are central elements.
• Deception: The young man tries to convince the old man that everything is fine, masking his true intentions.

Social connections

• Married people tend to live longer due to the social connection they provide.
• Even introverted people benefit from social connections, gaining a sense of community and belonging, which contributes to a longer life.

The Yellow Wallpaper

Originating Trope

• The story is an Originating trope, meaning it's a story that later invented that trope.

Protofeminist Themes

• Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Sylvia Plath were protofeminists, exploring similar themes of women being trapped.
• Both authors address the idea of hysteria, a false concept that women are overly emotional and unstable, justifying their oppression.
• The "rest cure," involving isolation in a dark room without stimulation, was a common but detrimental treatment for women's depression, worsening their condition.

Autobiographical Elements

• The story is semi-autobiographical, drawing from Gilman's experiences with depression and the rest cure.
• Gilman, a lesbian in a time when homosexuality was illegal, married twice due to societal pressures and suffered from postpartum depression.
• The story reflects her recognition of how the rest cure could be psychologically damaging.

Gilman's Life

• After her divorce, Gilman lived happily with her best friend for many years.
• She struggled with mental illness throughout her life but lived to see women gain the right to vote, a cause she had long advocated for.
• Besides "The Yellow Wallpaper," she is known for her utopian novel "Herland," which depicts a perfect world without men.

Misapprehension and Allegory

• The narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is not trying to lie but misapprehends the world due to her mental illness.
• The sickening yellow wallpaper with its nonsensical pattern and offensive smell serves as an allegory for the patriarchy and the oppression of women.
• The wallpaper's stain symbolizes how involvement with the patriarchy makes one complicit in it.
• John's sister is a figure in the oppression because she has been co opted by the patriarchy.
• This can also be seen as a common name for imperialism, in the general idea that one group has the power and gets a little bit of power out to others so they can then exert that power again on the next level down.

Setting and Symbolism

• The story is set in a lake house, symbolizing isolation and confinement.
• The husband, John, a doctor, thinks he is helping his wife but is actually controlling her.
• His dismissive behavior and control tactics can be seen as emotional manipulation.
  Emotional manipulation is defined as dismissing someone else's emotions as invalid.

Postpartum Depression

• The woman is suffering from postpartum depression, a common condition often dismissed or untreated due to societal attitudes.
• As her husband is a doctor, he holds all the authority and makes her feel that she must be getting better.
• Because of his position, the woman is thrice cursed because he holds more sway.
• The story is a betrayal of what the wife actually wanted in terms of help.

Oppression and Infantilization

• Patriarchal systems oppress both the oppressed and the oppressor.
• The story explores the betrayal of trust within the marriage, as the husband does not listen to his wife.
• The wife's happiness, found in writing and visiting friends, is restricted.
• The story introduces the concept of infantilization, where someone is treated like a child. This is contrasted by mansplaining, that is characterized by a man explaining something to someone in a patronizing way.
• Infantilization can be demeaning and is often directed from men towards women.
• She listens to her husband and sacrifices her own well-being to try and make him happy.
• It makes people think they will be rewarded if they make some people happy.

Crawling and Freedom

• The creeping woman is seen behind the wallpaper, shaking against the bars, trying to escape.
• The narrator realizes she must help the woman, representing her own need for freedom.
• She starts peeling the wallpaper, driven by a subconscious intent to liberate herself.
• The woman is then seen outside the window, creeping in the bushes and shadows, still hiding from society.
• The story suggests that this woman is in her own prison, and that she will get caught.

Climax and Symbolism

• At the end of the story, the husband faints, and the wife simply crawls over him.
• This symbolizes her gaining a small amount of power and overcoming an obstacle in her path, showing that change is possible.

Gender Equality

• While some countries like Denmark and Canada rank high on the gender equality index, full equality has not yet been achieved.
• Disparities still exist in wages and workplaces, often due to women taking maternity leaves.
• Equitability within relationships is crucial, with partners finding a balance that works for them.
• There are patriarchal societies across the world that are oppressive to their women where there is a big power dynamic. This happens even if some people claim that "they are protecting their women".