Characters' Multiple Narrative Subjectivities on Conflicting Views of Postmodernism - Essay Example

? Characters' Multiple Narrative ivities on Conflicting Views of Postmodernism The two works: - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Atonement by Ian McEwen are about women who in their own rights are writers; in the former an older woman while in the latter a young English girl who is a gifted writer. It revolves around the personal attachment to persons with the Yellow Wallpaper depicting a woman whose husband, a physician, has confined her in the bedroom of their house, while in the Atonement it is the young girl’s reaction to her sister’s admirer, who being a childhood friend of her sister Cecilia, has some attraction towards her. In The Yellow Wallpaper, John who happens to be the woman’s physician husband confines her in solitary confinement, telling their friends and relatives that she is suffering from temporary nervous depression. Since he is of high standing, there was no way of her proving the truth since her brother also a physician of high reputation gives support to her husband John’s claim (Gilman 30). She is given medication in the form of phosphates and any journeys, exercise or tonics are forbidden to her. To ‘work’ is also forbidden until she becomes well again. This includes her writing habit. John is a practical man who believes in only things felt and seen with which figures would best describe. He has intense dislike of superstition with no patience in belief or faith. This brings out the constant battle of superiority between male and female in society. The theme of unwilling imprisonment is brought out here (Gilman 34). John had secured a colonial mansion that had been unattended to for some time. It is well situated, off road with a great green garden. She thinks there might be problems related to the ownership of the house due to its unkempt nature. He lets her do nothing but rest, which she complains to miserably to no avail. His answer is that the trip to the mansion was solely for her sake so that she could rest well. The quote: - "Your exercise depends on your strength, my dear…. and your food somewhat on your appetite; but air you can absorb all the time." (Gilman 58) best exemplifies her husband’s attitude towards her opinions by treating her like a helpless victim. Her confinement leads her to being attached to the wallpaper that covered the walls. It has great patches all over and a fade look of unclean yellow faded by the intense sunlight that hits it on a daily basis. It is quite unique unlike anything she has ever seen with the quote: - “It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide--plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions” (Gilman 79) bringing out the image portrayed by the wallpaper. This goes against rational portrayal of wallpaper as being something beautiful and feminine with the scotching sun portraying the masculine oppression of the feminine gender (Gilman 80). She puts this done in writing only for her husband to appear, therefore cutting short her writing. The confinement troubles her but her husband sees no problem with this as exemplified by the quote: - “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no REASON to suffer, and that satisfies him.” (Gilman 114) showing the different viewpoints which they both have of the situation. She wants to be out of bed, helping her husband as a wife should be doing but John would hear none of it. The quote: -“I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!” shows her willingness to going on with a normal life. Her confinement brings out her hatred of the room with its wallpaper with the quote: -"You know the place is doing you good ….and really, dear, I don't care to renovate the house just for a three months' rental,” (Gilman 118) showing her husband’s attitude to her complaints over the room. She suggests other rooms downstairs but he jokes about it, amusingly. A form of confinement is associated with this. With time, she starts formulating patterns, shapes and finally a figure of the wallpaper. The quote: -“This paper looks to me as if it KNEW what a vicious influence it had!” (Gilman 56) shedding more light on her psychological wellbeing. John’s sister is caring, warm, and friendly towards her as exemplified with the quote: - “She is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession.” (Gilman 189) This brings out the attitude of submissiveness of women to men in family life. With time, John’s wife makes up a figure of the wallpaper and tries to tear it down. This she does thinking that she would free the woman she envisions in the wallpaper. She crawls around the room as did the imaginary figure thus suggesting the ‘feminine awareness.’ She is lonely and psychologically unfit with the quote: -“I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time” (Gilman 123) brings out a struggle for survival, with great sacrifice being displayed. In Atonement, the young woman by the name Briony lives with her older sister Cecilia and their cousins, Jackson and Pierrot. She is able to see some excitement between her sister Cecile and the housekeeper’s son, Robbie Turner who is a childhood friend of Cecile (McEwan 79). On realization of his attraction to her, he writes an explicit letter, intending to discard it, he accidentally gives it to Briony to deliver it to her sister, thinking it is another letter. Briony reads it and is disturbed by her perceived intentions of Robbie. Latter on she is to stumble in on the two, Robbie and Cecile making love and she interprets this to be rape. Her cousins having run away, a search party is organized and split into teams to search for them and it is in this situation that Briony sees her cousin Lola being apparently raped by an assailant whom she assumes to be Robbie. She accuses him and subsequently identifies him to the police as the apparent rapist, with the result being that Robbie is imprisoned. Only Cecile and Robbie’s mother believe him to be innocent. This brings out the theme of truth versus imagination with Briory’s imagination resulting to Robbie’s imprisonment (McEwan 118). The break of the Second World War presents an opportunity for Robbie to repay for his crime by enlisting into the army. Meanwhile Cecile is a nurse, having cut off all contact with her family. She blames them for their part in the imprisonment of Robbie. The only means of communication between them having been through letters, this brings out the theme of Love and commitment even under confinement. Robbie is injured and hospitalized during the war. Meanwhile, Briony is remorseful and has trained as a nurse. She meets Luc and tries to repay her debt by being loving and caring for this dying soldier. This brings out the themes of remorse and war/death. On later meeting Robbie and Cecile, they refuse to forgive her, with her trying her best to redo her wrong and make things right. Here the themes of reunion and remorse are exemplified (McEwan 350). In both works, there is the presence of the feminine perspective being antagonistic to the masculine aspect of society. Here, the feminine side is suppressed and confined to the household duties of caretaking while the men are free to go about their business. There are varied mental and psychological effects experienced by both writers, with remorse being shown towards fellow females. The aspect of male dominance is exemplified in both touching on issues pertaining to the male dominated world. Conflict is another theme that is expressed here, both writers having experienced mental strain due to their remorse for others. This affects them psychologically. Also present is the theme of correcting past wrongs, through various actions such as the expression of love and care for others. Works cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories. Minnesota: Filiquarian Publishing, LLC., 2007. McEwan, Ian. Atonement. London: Random House, 2010. Read More