Gilman and Rhy's Similarities

Paper Summary:

Charlotte Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Jean Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea" are stories about women's tragic lives in the late 19th and mid 20th centuries. This paper explain how these two stories contain many similarities. In the novel, "Wide Sargasso Sea," the main character, Rochester, drives his wife to insanity. Similarly, in the short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper," John drives his wife insane. It also shows how, in addition, both women are isolated, oppressed, and ignored.

From the Paper:

"The entire black society wants the family to suffer, knowing that Antoinette's father died and the farm went to ruin. After her father's death, they understand that the family lost male strength and thus, they turned against Antoinette, her mother, and her little brother. Her mother, Annette, still young and beautiful, tries to survive and remarries a wealthy man, Mr. Mason. This act does not diminish the community's hatred. Eventually, they force the family out of town by setting fire to the house. With sadness and horror, Antoinette says, "Nothing would be left, the golden ferns and the silver ferns, the orchids and the honeysuckle, and the picture of the Miller's daughter" (Rhys 27). When the family tries to get away, the black society mocks her family by saying: "Look, the white niggers! Look the damn white niggers" (Rhys 27). Antoinette watches her house burn to the ground and then suddenly, she notices her friend, Tia, among a crowd of slaves. Instead of running away from them, Antoinette runs toward them but Tia hits her with a stone:"

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