The Tell-Tale Heart and “The Yellow Wallpaper
the way each character changes throughout the story
In both "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the protagonists undergo significant changes throughout the story, albeit in different ways. While the main character in "The Tell-Tale Heart" experiences a gradual descent into madness, the protagonist in "The Yellow Wallpaper" evolves from a passive and obedient woman to a rebellious and empowered individual.
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator starts the story by insisting that they are not mad, despite being haunted by a relentless obsession with the old man's eye. However, as the story progresses, the narrator's sanity gradually deteriorates. Their obsession with the eye becomes increasingly irrational, leading them to commit an atrocious act of murder. By the end of the story, the narrator is overwhelmed by guilt and paranoia, confessing to their crime due to the incessant sound of the old man's heartbeat consuming their mind. The reader witnesses the complete mental deterioration of the protagonist, as the narrator's thoughts become fragmented and incoherent. This change reveals a disturbed and deranged mind, ultimately leading to their downfall.
On the other hand, the protagonist in "The Yellow Wallpaper" experiences a transformation marked by growing awareness and rebellion against oppressive societal norms. Initially, the protagonist is portrayed as a subservient woman who follows her husband's instructions and conforms to the expectations of society. She tries to suppress her true thoughts and emotions, which start manifesting as hallucinations and fixations on the yellow wallpaper in the room where she is confined. As the story progresses, however, the protagonist becomes increasingly resistant to her husband's oppressive control. She begins to question his authority and realizes that the confinement is exacerbating her mental health issues. This leads to her descent into madness, but it also results in a newfound determination to free herself from societal expectations. In the end, she becomes enmeshed with the yellow wallpaper, imagining herself as the woman trapped within it, thus symbolizing her rebellion against the patriarchal constraints imposed upon her.
In sum, both "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" portray characters undergoing significant transformations. In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the protagonist experiences a gradual decline into madness and paranoia, eventually leading to their own downfall. Meanwhile, in "The Yellow Wallpaper," the protagonist evolves from a passive and obedient woman to a rebellious individual, breaking free from societal constraints. These changes highlight the shifts in their mental and emotional states and ultimately serve as catalysts for the stories' resolutions.