Respond to the following essay prompt. In her essay "Writing Short Stories" Flannery O'Connor says this about characterization: "You can't cut characters off from their society and say much about them as individuals." "You can't say anything meaningful about the mystery of personality unless you put that personality in a believable and significant social context." Consider the quotations above. Then pick a story from Semester A and evaluate how the social context and the characters work together not only to provide a vivid setting, but also to help explain and develop the characters' thoughts, words, and actions.
short response
In "Writing Short Stories," Flannery O'Connor argues that characters cannot be understood fully unless they are placed within a social context. This is evident in the story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The social context of the time, in which women were expected to conform to societal norms and were denied agency, plays a crucial role in shaping the thoughts, words, and actions of the main character.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" takes place in the late 19th century when women were expected to be submissive and obedient to their husbands. The main character, a woman suffering from postpartum depression, is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper by her husband, who believes it will help cure her ailment. This social context of female oppression and the belief in the subordination of women contributes to the protagonist's deteriorating mental state.
The vivid setting of the room with its unsettling yellow wallpaper symbolizes the oppressive nature of the society in which the protagonist lives. As the story progresses, the woman becomes obsessed with the pattern of the wallpaper and starts to see a woman trapped behind it. This symbolizes her own entrapment within the confines of her gender and the societal expectations placed upon her.
The social context also explains the protagonist's thoughts, words, and actions. Her increasing obsession with the wallpaper can be seen as a form of rebellion against her husband's authority and the societal norms that confine her. The narrative style of the story, written as diary entries, allows readers to delve into the protagonist's mind and witness her descent into madness as she starts to identify with the woman behind the wallpaper.
Furthermore, the social context gives meaning to the protagonist's ultimate action of tearing down the wallpaper. By doing so, she challenges the patriarchal norms that have imprisoned her and reclaims her agency, albeit in a self-destructive manner. This action is a manifestation of her rebellion against the societal expectations that have suppressed her as an individual.
In conclusion, "The Yellow Wallpaper" exemplifies how the social context and the characters work together to provide a vivid setting and explain the characters' thoughts, words, and actions. Through the oppressive social context of the time, the protagonist's descent into madness and ultimate rebellion against societal norms are not only vividly depicted but also serve to highlight the themes of female oppression and the struggle for agency.