After reading The Yellow Wallpaper I researched the author and found out that narrator is actually a projection of the author's past. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was diagnosed with the same type of illness and has been given the same treatment as the narrator in the story. Gilman experienced the same nervous breakdown and psychological meltdowns that the narrator has been exposed to. She was driven to the brink of her insanity until she threw away the advice her physician Weir Mitchell gave her. It was only until she began writing that her mind began to recover. To spite her doctor's advice she named the practitioner in the story after her own physician whom treated her. I believe the purpose of the article is to express a struggle between genders. Her husband and brother were both highly praised doctors and they both told her to not write and do any work. During that time period nobody questioned a doctor's medical advice. She obeyed both men and in doing so led to her demise. The woman in the wallpaper represents the lack of power women had. The woman in the wallpaper is shackled behind the bars in the design and remains that way whenever she follows the commands of her husband. It is ironic that the woman is only set free when the narrator takes control and locks herself in the room. The woman in the wallpaper's freedom shows the power one can attain from taking authority.

Objective Characters, Objects as Characters

Chekhov’s story was characterized by his character’s detached reflections and descriptions of everything that happened to him and of everything around him. The dialogue in Chekhov’s story was very limited, keeping the story and the character very introspective. His description of their kissing in the middle of page 183 is a great example of this; in the midst of such a passionate moment we see an analysis of how they kissed and who was watching and where they were and what it smelled like and… but these tangents never seem to be tangents, Chekhov always makes them belong. Even though the reader saw the story through the eyes of Gurov, it felt more as if it were through the lense of an objective bystander. Oates’ story was much more involved with the character, much more emotional with more movement and action taking place; her story unfolds in an active, broken manner, while Chekhov’s is passive and linear.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” it was neat how the wallpaper transformed and took on many roles, not only of the setting, but of a character, a foil, and of the plot as well; the wallpaper was everything in the story. It alone moved the plot, it was as an important character as John, it revealed and developed the character of our protagonist. And the ending was just bizarre.

Power of Plot

I especially enjoyed Andre Dubus' Killing. While reading it, I felt as if i was guided. I had no difficulty reading the text and at some point I found myself really captured into the reading. That's the power of plot. A well organized plot leads the reader throughout the story. The reader will not get lost or confused in such literary work. Andre used the plot stragegy in medias. Killing starts at Frank's funeral. In the beginning of the story the writer takes the reader to the scenes before the death of Frank to the incidents after he dies. Author's different approach to readers especially in terms of plot really stimulate reader's interest to read further. Andre's Killing was very vivd. It's seemed more like watching rather than reading.

Lady with the Pet Dog

Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov is one of my favorite short stories and reading it again was a delight. Checkov, a master of short stories has been recognized for his incomparable gift on numerous occasions. Reading a modern version of Lady with the Pet Dog by Carol Oates was rather disappointing to me. Her version failed to reveal the romance and appeal portrayed by Checkov. His story takes place in late 1800’s in still Imperial Russia, the lovers meet on a sea-shore of the black see in Yalta. The setting chosen by Oates, Nantucket doesn’t evoke the same mood or create the proper atmosphere which was captured by Checkov. Carol Oates is a very important writer and this story is very well written but in my view it doesn’t compare to Chekhov’s.

After Reading Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour

My first reaction to Mrs. Mallard's response to her husband's death news was that she's crazy. I mean how can she feel joy at her partner's death? That's outrageous! Then I tried to understand her why she'd felt that way. There must be a reason. Unfortunately the story lacks information for the readers. I, as one of the readers can only assume that maybe it was a forced marriage where she had to live with Mr. Mallard though she never loved him. Or he abused her at some point in their marriage. However we can only infer, can't conclude. Excluding assumptions aside, based on the text, Mrs. Mallard clearly felt grief about her husband's death. But what I don't understand is that her sadness instantly disappeared and turned into joy! Happy that she is free from her chains as a wife. I completelt agree to the fact the the dead ones become forgotten. No matter how much one loved them, as time goes on, living ones live and dead ones are buried in our hearts. That's normal! But Mrs. Mallard thought of joy and freedom on the day she heard of her husband's death! From that I can only conclude that she didn't love him truly.

A Rose for Emily

I enjoyed Faulkner's short story,"A Rose for Emily". The story made you feel bad for Emily because she had been cooped up in that house for all those years. The town gossiped about her constantly and were so into her personal life. She finally obtained a lover and then it was as if he had left her. It is a very depressing story of her life. In the end we find out that she actually killed her lover because he was going to leave her. This came as a suprise to me, but I still sympathized for her because her misery had obviously driven her mad.
Faulkner's use of plot made the story very interesting because it started with her death, told about her life, and ended with her death. After her death Faulkner also reveals that her lover was found in the bedroom upstairs. This order of events lead to a suprise ending which I enjoyed. The way an author uses plot can completely change the way you view a story.

Show And Tell

The chapters based on Plot and Character were very interesting. The stories that dealt with Plot was very good. Burroughs' story helped show the key points of plot very easily and the story was interesting enough. Oates' Three Girls was my favorite in that chapter since the author had a very original plot for her story that she worked well considering how she used just the one place, the Strand Bookstore, and a surprise character of Marilyn Monroe. The ending line of the story was unique as well. Faulkner's story was original as well and showed a good example of a chronological arrangement to a story that used flashbacks to build up the story. The Character chapter was good as well with its two stories by Melville and Chai. Melville's story seemed to really illustrate the strength of the character descriptions and actions in the story. All in all, both chapters showed through the stories the separate points it wanted to illustrate that make up a story.

The story Three Girls by Joyce Carol Oates left me very confused. The last line threw me completely. "That magical evening of Marilyn Monroe, when I kissed you for the first time." Who is she talking about? Is she repeating the story of what happened to her at a younger age to a loved one? The only thing that she speaks passionate about in this story is poetry. And yet she keeps referring to someone as "you" throughout the whole story. I really dont understand what the writer was trying to express in this story. The descriptive plot was gave me a great picture of the setting in my head but the story itself did not make much sense to me.

Faulkner - The Master of Spooky Storytelling

Sorry about picking this story over the others, but Faulkner's "A rose for Emily" was just powerful compared to Oates' story about Three Girls. But, yes, I realized the last thing you wanted to read was something along the lines of "why I thought this story sucked." So, I'm going to try something a bit different.

This is the kind of the story best told over a campfire. Not the boy-scout type campfires. This one is more mature. It involves tea.

Faulkner tells a little story about a woman with enigmatic appearance. With a gloomy setting & Gothic elements the grim atmosphere is established. From the emphasis in great detail about the decrepit corpse of Homer Barron to the withering of her gray hair, reaching a shade of gray only Faulkner could depict. The concept that the people of the town "misread" Miss Emily Grierson and her relationship with Homer. All of these pictures put together to delude the reader from an even bigger secret that grasps your attention.

It was the feeling that makes you question your reading comprehension skills so you'd re-read the story twice, highlight the specific passage, and still have that same dumbfounded look on your face from before. Great read!

Killings

"Killings" is an appropriate title for this story because Strout did not kill one person but all of the loved ones that Frank was connected too. Matt's act of revenge would be the first reaction of many parents who have gone through a smilar situation. I don't think that this was a choice that he made but is was made for him. Matt's decision to kill Strout was under pressure from his wife and family.

A Rose for Emily

What is most striking to me about Faulkner's tale, is that upon completing the story, I was left with the feeling that nothing had been resolved. What exactly happens at the end? I was confused as to whether Emily had in fact murdered her lover, and more importantly, if she had- WHY? Faulkner doesn't provide obvious answers to these questions. There is nothing in the story to indicate that Emily had any motive to kill Barron. In fact, it would seem from what Faulkner has written that Emily would have wanted Barron to live. Barron would have served to bring happiness to an otherwise lonely and unstable woman, and additionally, would have provided monetary support to her and saved her from her state as a pauper.
If in fact, Emily DID murder her lover, the question is why. The trouble with the story however, is that the reader never gets a glimpse into the mind of Emily herself. Faulkner, using a first person narrator, ensures that the reader is well aware of what the townspeople think and assume about Emily, but never of what or how Emily herself thinks or feels. Everything the townspeople (and subsequently, the reader) believe about Emily then, is merely speculative. Whatever we may think we know about Emily, however much evidence or vignettes about her life the townspeople provide us with, we never really do understand anything about her in the end. The townspeople, and the reader, never really do know Emily at all. This is why, although Faulkner clearly indicates that the smell begins to pervade her house shortly after the disappearance of her lover, neither the people in the town, nor the reader, suspect that the two incidents are related. Emily eludes and deceives us all.

Three Girls

"Three Girls" by Joyce Carol Oates really raised some questions of confusion in my mind. I think that i understood the meaning of the story and the significance of Marilyn Monroe, but im not so sure if my interpretations are correct. In the opening paragraph, Oates sets a rather romantic setting for the reader..."streetlights on broadway glimmered with a strange sepia glow....drifting through the warehouse of treasures as through an enchanted forest." this element foreshadowed a romantic involvement at some point or another. The hint of broadway made me think of a celebrity, even though it was in reference to a street. I think that Marilyn Monroes reference was significant in the fact that she was a "sex" symbol of her day and age and a symbol of liberation and freedom for women to do what they want. this gave the two girls the freedom and empowerment to kiss eachother, which was a contreversial issue at the time. i think the significance of the poetry boooks was also a romantic symbol..often times poems are written about love. im not sure if what im thinking is right, but i feel like there was a lot of symbolism in this story and a lot of foreshadowing

Three Girls

After reading Oates' story of the Three Girls, I was shocked to think that this was considered great literature. Granted there was an unusual setting and it did not follow the conventional pattern of formula fiction or any typical fiction for that matter, however to say that this story was great would be highly insulting to the 'great classics' of literature. Maybe I'm just naive, but I really don't see the point to the story. Some girls go into a bookstore & ogle over Marilyn Monroe shopping there. As the text states, “We couldn’t resist, we had to follow! Cautious not to whisper together like excited schoolgirls, still less to giggle wildly as we were tempted…”
In regard to Sandra's comment's that she see's the actress in a new light, this is in all likelihood a fictitious story and the author most probably only used her name to make a point that some actresses may actually have brains and not just the superficial people that they appear to be on the big screen. The narrator relates to us, that “of course, the blond actress in Strand Used books wasn’t herself, not at all glamorous, or “sexy…” hardly a Hollywood celebrity, a movie goddess.” With all this in mind, I’m still sticking to my guns and contending that this story should not be considered great as it’s just another story about two girls in a used book store.

A Rose for Emily

In the short story, "A Rose for Emily," Emily is a lonely woman, who shelters herself from the community she lives in. At first, I was confused as to what the story was about, however after I finished reading it I was able to connect everything that occurred. Faulkner makes the reader think in his story, he keeps you guessing until the end. I didn't think Emily was going to kill her lover, than again I guess she felt she had no other chose because she didn't wanna be left alone.

Three girls

Oates has a great talent for turning everyday encounters into wonderfully strange stories. In my mind I have always pictured Marylin Monroe as a beautiful and talented starlett who was a little ditzy. This story makes me see her in a whole different light. What if she was that kind of woman who hid her brains because she assumed that's the only way she would get to where she was going. Something boggled me about the end of the story; why did Oates choose to pick the book of poems by Marian Moore to give to the girls. Is there something significant about that author. And as Oates writes it from one of the girls point of view what did kissing her friend have to do with the story line.

The plot scheme in "A Rose For Emily" was built around the main character. As you read the short story you are able to build and feel out who Emily Grierson is. What purpose does she serve to the story. "A Rose For Emily", is like a mystery. As you continue to turn the pages more and more information is revealed to the reader. The plot of the story is built so that the reader can figure out how certain things happened throughout the story. The plot/"arrangement of incidents" alow you to figure out the main idea of the story.

A Rose for Emily

Emily Grierson is a sheltered woman who was deprived of life through her fathers selfishness. Emily was isolated from society. It seems like she never left that big house of hers, which belonged to her after her fathers death. Emily was left only with a black man who answered her front door like Lurch from the Adams Family. She wanted a man to love her, and to one day become her husband. Well, she did find a man by the name of Homer Barron. Emily didn't want to be left by her lonesome. To prevent her lover from leaving her she killed him.

Through the story, people continuously uttered "poor Emily." They felt sorry for her. She was lonely, and was madly in search for a companion to keep her company. From Mr. Griersons (Emily's father) wrong doings, in my opinion Emily Grierson developed a mental sickness. A stable human being wouldn't kill their lover and keep the buying laying around in order to keep them close by. Through isolation, Emily desired to be loved and wanted to love a man and maybe have a family. Things didn't work out her way. Desires can make people do the unquestionable. This drove Emily to become a murderer.

Plot & Settings

When an author of a novel adds enough significant details to the story it helps the reader to be placed in the setting in which the story is taken place. In "Three Girls" the story starts out with specific details of where the story is taking place.

As I was reading "A Rose for Emily" I was wondering whether or not the story would have a better impact if it was told in first person. Would the readers want to know what she was thinking as she bought the Arsenic from the druggist? Or would the reader want to stay left out of the open so they don't know what will happen next. I personally liked the way things were kept secretive and not told because it made you wonder what was really going on in Emilys head. It came to a surprise when they said that she had died because they said she wasn't ill and no one had any information as to what had happened. I was confused as to what happened at the end. They found a long gray hair coming from her nose but i wasn't sure if this was symbolizing her death because of age or something else.

In my personal opinion, characters make a book. If characters can't relate to the reader. The reader won't be interested in the readings.

Tarzan, although may seem fictional, may also relate to the "beast" in yourself. But at the same time make you wonder how would you deal if you were in a situation where you had to choose your family that you grew up with and know and between a new family that is unknown to you. We all face obstacles and how we deal depends on what we know and how we respond. We learn these through the societies we were brought up in and it builds your own personal character.

Plots, Perspectives and more Formula Fiction

Tarzan brought up another angle on the formula fiction debate. It certainly was a very exciting book, very plot based, and I see how the book can consider it formula fiction. Yet the copy that I own is published by Penguin Twentieth Century Classics and its genre on the back is literature. Hmm. Is it formula fiction just because it has a great plot? What about Tolkien?

The Joyce Carol Oates story was really great (especially the setting) but as contrasted with “Killings” it had no real plot, and the only semblance of plot (the interaction with Marilyn Monroe) was overshadowed by the fact that almost half of the story did not take place within that plot, and by the last line about the two girls’ first kiss. In contrast with Tarzan though, the former two stories felt much more real, they drew the reader into the story rather than just have them observe.

“A Rose for Emily” and ”Saving Sourdi” were also very real stories, both involving a substantial plot, but an interesting difference between the two was the perspective that the reader has of the characters. In “A Rose for Emily” we observe the main character through the eyes of an observer in the community, while in “Saving Sourdi” everything unfolds through the eyes of our protagonist, a young girl.

Melville’s story was something else altogether and I found it fascinating how he was able to turn such a boring person into such a fascinating character and make him the center of a gripping story. In this story Melville also used the perspective that Faulkner used in “A Rose” but (I thought) to much better effect, as the narrator was also an active participant in the plot and foil to the protagonist.

The power of characterization

I am amazed by reading the chapter of character. When this chapter mentions Charles Dickens’ novels, his great novels that I had read just popped up my mind immediately. Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, Great Expectations, a Tale of Two Cities, his story characters always are the main elements that attracted me to finish the entire books. He succeeded of presenting his characters by naming, showing and telling. As the chapter says, he chose Gradgrind in his Hard Times, the name as stand for master of school. He used both showing and telling techniques to double imaged the picture of him to readers. Clearly showing his characters either physical looks or interior thinking might be. Anyone who reads Oliver Twist will possibly never forget Oliver Twist. The power of characterization is truly make a story live.

May-Lee Chai’s Saving Sourdi, I disagree her story succeeded in character description. Her characters are far away from Dicken’s. For example, I will never question Dickens’ Oliver Twist is reliable or not. The boy has already got into my nerve. I have no doubt to feel sympathy and great sorrow of what Oliver had experienced. In contract, Chai’ story is modern, so I use my modern mind to view her story. Her story girls seems realistic, but to me, lack of reasoning and some exaggeration in it. A 11-years-old girl got panic but dared to grabbed a paring knife to stab a giant man? Is that true of a social problem that the author wanted to show us? Nevertheless, the author has given me an attention of how would I do if I were the girl. But in fact, I don’t do much care about this. Many families in this world have encountered harder more problems than this girl. What can we do? A young and naïve girl has a thinking of hatred and thinking of run away from home isn’t a simple family problem? In contract, Dickens’ Oliver Twist, a tragedy of his life is not just that simple problem.

The use of simple plot and complex characterization in Bartleby, the Scrivener

In the short story Bartleby, the Scrivener Herman Melville uses a very effective method of complex characterization and simple plot. He employs both major methods of presenting his characters: showing and telling. The story is told from the limited first person point of view of the narrator. His scrupulous description of Turkey, Ginger Nut and Nippers in the beginning of the story provides us with some idea of what kind of character the narrator is. However, the lack of plot portrayed through misunderstandings between narrator and Bartleby forces the reader to make up his or her own conclusions about what type of characters the narrator and Bartleby are. The author’s choice to use simple plot to reveal complex characterizations of the lawyer and Bartley makes the reader interpret the theme of the story for himself or herself.
Michael Meyer wrote in the introduction of The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature “the best reading creates some kind of change is us: we see more clearly; we’re alert to nuances; we ask questions that previously didn’t occur to us.” I would consider Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener a very effective literary work it not only meets the standard described by Meyer but it also feeds our emotional needs.

comments on "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Perhaps on the surface, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's “the Yellow Wallpaper” is merely a story about a woman with a declining psychological condition. However, a more meticulous examination of this work reveals a great deal about the way women were regarded in this 17th century society. For instance, at the beginning of the story, the narrator mentions that she is ill; however, it seems that the men in her life, namely her husband and her brother, do not believe her. Throughout the story, John, the husband, regards the narrator as “silly” or irrational and pays little attention to her illness. This seems to represent the way women were thought of in that time. Furthermore, the relationship between the narrator and her husband appears to more closely imitate the relationship between a parent and child, than between a husband and wife. For example, the narrator states that she could not speak upon noticing John’s “stern, reproachful look.” Moreover, John speaks to his wife as if she is a child, such as asking her, “What is it little girl?” This type of patronizing language seems repressive and disrespectful, comparable to calling all women “sweetheart” or “darling” nowadays. Additionally, the attic room with the barred windows, the immobile bed and “infuriating” wallpaper are further symbols of this woman’s oppression. The attic room seems reminiscent of fairytales such as “Rapunzel,” in which a young girl is locked in tower by a dominating force. The barred windows and the immovable bed appear to reinforce this idea that the narrator has been locked up, or trapped. Perhaps this notion will help to explain the woman in the wallpaper. Whether or not the woman in the wallpaper is seen as a hallucination, it seems clear that the narrator strongly identifies with her. It is also interesting to note that the woman only appears to be stuck behind bars in the moonlight, when the narrator’s husband is home. Furthermore, as time goes on, the narrator prefers to look at the wallpaper at night because during the day, the pattern is “tiring and perplexing.” It appears the narrator is being trained to accept her position “behind bars” as a prisoner of her husband and society, as it is simpler than delving into the perplexities of the woman who creeps freely by daylight. However, eventually, the narrator liberates herself and appropriately, her husband faints, as the narrator has crashed through all the boundaries.