The Evolution of Insanity

Through The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman portrays the evolution of insanity. The narrator, wife of the overbearing physician John, records her own transition from the grip of sanity into the tumultuous throws of mental instability. Does she realize that she is insane from the beginning or is it only when she breaks through the wallpaper does she knowingly allow it to consume her.  At the beginning of the story we see our narrator as “mere ordinary” (p. 424); her husband and her brother, both physicians, have diagnosed her with a nervous condition, “ a slight hysterical tendency,” (p. 425) and sentenced her to a rest cure. We are never told the catalyst for this diagnosis. However, this condition is the reason for her and her husband’s stay at the house in the country. The narrator is forced into an “airy” room where she can recover her mental stability; she can only concentrate on the yellow wallpaper. Her descriptions of the wallpaper become increasingly lively, as does her condition. Her insanity is shown through her style of writing.

She writes of the house and it’s surroundings, she is very descriptive, her vocabulary is extensive, and her words paint a vivid picture for the readers. When she writes of John, her writing becomes shortened, direct and minimalist, similar to the words of her husband. He is limiting. He does not want her to write; it is almost as if he is forcing her to become more like himself, “practical in the extreme (p 424). The difference between husband and wife can be seen stylistically and through her own descriptions. However, it is as if the narrator refuses to accept that tension. She disagrees with his diagnosis and she blames him for her slow recovery ( p 424), then she reminds herself “he is very careful and loving… he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more.” She writes “I am too wise.” Then she writes “he is so wise. (p. 429)” She has no power over herself and all of her actions are decided for her with “special direction (p. 425).  John’s influence is so great that the narrator cannot enjoy the solace of a private diary without fear of invasion, both physically and mentally. She reprimands herself as she writes; why would she not edit herself as she writes in order to appease John? I feel as if her most ridiculous thoughts she keeps solely to herself and not on the page, even though it is only “dead paper. (p 424)”

 Ironically, it is within the wallpaper of her room her mind escapes her. As she falls further and further from reality the pattern on the wall becomes more alive. Behind the pattern, she can see “ a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure that seems to skulk around behind that silly and conspicuous front design. (p 428). She is able to escape in the formlessness and haphazardness of the design.  Just as we find her spiral into madness mesmerizing, she finds “ it is so interesting to watch developments (p. 431)” in the paper; her descriptions, all the while, are increasingly insane. The paper begins to appear just as her mind; a loose barrier covering “the creeping woman” inside. Until, finally, she rips free, breaking through her husband’s oppression and her own sanity. It is through her descriptive writing we see her evolution into insanity and we know she is proud of it, for the diary is representation of a conscientious self-recording. (591) 

The Extraordinary

Under the fluorescent lights of an American supermarket, John Updike is able to explore the implications of the extraordinary. The ordinary Sammy is caught up in the humdrum of supermarket life until in walks three extraordinary creatures, to be more specific, three barely clad girls. The appearance of the triumvirate throws both the employees and the customers for a loop. Sammy observes the three during their escapade through the A & P. The girl’s attire could only be described as unconventional; Sammy intently observes the reactions of the customers, which he dubs “sheep.” Sammy realizes that apart from being their “unsuspected” hero, he wants more than to be a part of supermarket society; he wants to be extraordinary as well.

From the very beginning, the narrator presents his skills of observation. He is able to interpret physical action into an aspect of character. The description of Queenie’s gait demonstrates his ability to connect the two. He associates the hardness of her steps with the unfamiliarity of her bare feet hitting the hard floor and the distribution of weight as a determination to push the boundaries. Through the eyes of Sammy, we see that with each step she gains confidence. Queenie is the unconventional threat to the supermarket society. In fact, we see the “sheep scatter” as she forces her way through them, by “walking against the usual traffic (16).” She represents everything foreign, beautiful, and extraordinary to Sammy. He imagines her home as a luxurious alternative to that of his own cookie cutter lifestyle. While her family enjoys extravagant drinks, his family provides generic refreshments. We see his family and community represented by the store manager Lengel, the family friend, and his clerk-mate Stokies, whose greatest ambition in life is to be store manager himself. Lengel reminds Sammy that by quitting his job he will be disappointing his parents and Sammy knows it as well. He is deciding to walk against the norm and to embarrass the supermarket society. He admits that he feels “how hard the world was going to be to… hereafter (19).” Sammy realizes that by choosing to be unconventional he will have to face larger challenges.

By setting his short story in a supermarket John Updike is able to comment on the dreary life unaccompanied by the unconventional. Each customer is the same. They react similarly to each situation. Rather than admit to any disturbance they would rather ignore it. “ I bet you could set of dynamite in the A & P and the people would by and large keep … checking of their list (16).” However, the inexplicability of the girl’s dress and behavior is overwhelming for the clones, “you could see them kind of jerk, or hop, or hiccup but their eyes snapped back to their own baskets and on they pushed (16).” The girls make a point of walking against the flow of sheep, emphasizing their differences. The supermarket itself represents a sort of corral; Sammy aptly names it a “pinball machine (17),” where sheep can be funneled out. Sammy gives the sheep a collective conscience and feeling because one is indistinguishable from the next. The entire journey is supposedly undertaken to obtain “Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks (17), “ but ultimately, Queenie’s goal is the prove herself extraordinary. By doing so, she inspires the other youth in the store, Sammy, to do just the same.

While reading this story, I was reminded of a song by Malvina Reynolds. She describes the supermarket society as a society filled with the same people, who all follow the same pattern, who live and die following the same journey, in the same “little boxes.” Both John Updike’s and Malvina Reynolds’ work satirizes the ridiculousness of conventionalism and encourages the extraordinary. A & P shows us one boy’s decision to stand out and choose a path different from the expected.

“Little Boxes” Malvina Reynolds

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes made of ticky tacky

Little boxes on the hillside,

Little boxes all the same,

Theres a pink one & a green one

And a blue one & a yellow one

And they are all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses

All went to the university

Where they were put in boxes

And they came out all the same

And theres doctors & lawyers

And business executives

And they are all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course

And drink their martinis dry

And they all have pretty children

And the children go to school,

And the children go to summer camp

And then to the university

Where they´re put in boxes

And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business

And marry & raise a family

In boxes made of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same,

Theres a pink one & a green one

And a blue one & a yellow one

And they are all made out of ticky tacky

And they all look just the same.

A Teenage Clique

In Anne Tyler’s short story “Teenage Wasteland,” we find ourselves surrounded in a world populated solely by teenagers. They all vie for positions in an exclusive club of “acceptability.” Daisy, the insecure one, Cal, the influential screw-up, Matt, unsupportive boyfriend, Donny, the lost boy, and Amanda, the forgotten girl are the members of this so-called group. They compete for the love and attention of each other member, which is gained by popularity. The group or family is missing a parent. Daisy is too caught up in her own insecurities to stand by the right decision and Matt does not care enough. When the turn to a third source, Cal, they are presented with an faulty outlet of responsibility. This lack of authority and guidance leads all of the characters to unhappiness and loneliness.

Daisy, the supposed mother, fails to mature out of adolescence due to her unforgiving insecurities. The narrator fails to name Daisy as the mother during the second paragraph of the story; she never gains a title of respect or care throughout the story. Daisy deals with the constant anxiety of a teenage girl. She is summoned to the principal’s office and her behavior represents that of a soon-to-be reprimanded student, “clutching (p. 36)” her purse. In fact, she describes herself as the “delinquent parent (p. 36).”  She imagines herself sitting before the principal as “an overweight housewife in a cotton dress (p.37), even before he enters the room. Her negative self-reflection is a clear indicator of her teenage immaturity. She focuses only on her appearance and the principal’s interpretation of her behavior as opposed to that of her son.

 Daisy soon finds herself participating in all of the activities a teenager would devote his or her time to while trying to help her son. Her effort fails and the psychologist recommends a tutor, Cal, to help bear the burden of parental responsibility. Donny seems to be happier each day he returns from Cals’ house. After some time Daisy realizes what a negative influence Cal is, but she is manipulated by her desire to “befriend” Donny, her son. She finds herself becoming jealous of Cal and his ability to make Donny happy. Because of the jealously she is again manipulated into giving the other group members what each of them wants; Cal keeps getting paid and Donny gets his free reign. Daisy also faces this struggle alone; she is unsupported by her husband. We see that Matt does have a critical eye; he comprehends the situation at Cal’s house, agreeing to the name of “teenage wasteland” accidentally brought up by Daisy while she is blinded by her love of Donny. Even though he understands the implication of that title, Matt fails to react in any positive way or, more significantly, in any way at all. We see Matt as an apathetic father. With a mother wrapped up in her own issues and a father not bothered to care, Donny has no where to turn but to Cal. Cal eventually deserts Donny as well. Every connection to his “group” has been severed and Donny has nothing left to do but run.