Feminist Approach on the Yellow Wallpaper
Major Themes suburban horror
This collection of short stories, most of which take place in ordinary American settings, aptly demonstrates Jackson's penchant for suburban horror. As exemplified most clearly by "The Lottery," Jackson's vision of horror is not limited to haunted houses or exotic locations. On the contrary, horror is engendered in the mind, in the banal brutality of everyday individuals, who may be mothers, fathers, wives, and husbands. Unhappiness, sheer dissatisfaction with one's life, can lead to the blurring of reality and fantasy, and even madness. And in this madness, horror can come alive in the most mundane of settings and situations. lonely (unmarried) women
Jackson's lonely women are most often portrayed as being unfulfilled and unhappy, both professionally and personally. They are most in danger of losing touch with reality and, in the extreme, becoming outright insane (as does Eleanor in Jackson's novel, The Haunting of Hill House). A few of these women who are also unmarried include the narrator of "The Daemon Lover," Marcia, and Elizabeth Style. However, the married female characters may also feel lonely, as do Mrs. Walpole, Mrs. Winning, and Emily Johnson. In some cases, their husbands are present but inconsequential or inattentive. In Emily's case, her husband is away in the army. Whatever the case, these female characters are most likely to usurp another's identity or lose their own. city life versus country life
Jackson's stories favor neither cities nor more rural settings. However, she does clearly demonstrate a difference in mentality and lifestyle between these two opposing locations. For example, in "Pillar of Salt," Margaret is a woman from the country who becomes wholly paralyzed by her vacation in New York. In contrast, Mrs. Hart moves from the city and attempts to settle into the country life, but finds herself constrained by the narrow-minded gossip of the village. She is unable to stand up for herself and refuse Mrs.
This collection of short stories, most of which take place in ordinary American settings, aptly demonstrates Jackson's penchant for suburban horror. As exemplified most clearly by "The Lottery," Jackson's vision of horror is not limited to haunted houses or exotic locations. On the contrary, horror is engendered in the mind, in the banal brutality of everyday individuals, who may be mothers, fathers, wives, and husbands. Unhappiness, sheer dissatisfaction with one's life, can lead to the blurring of reality and fantasy, and even madness. And in this madness, horror can come alive in the most mundane of settings and situations. lonely (unmarried) women
Jackson's lonely women are most often portrayed as being unfulfilled and unhappy, both professionally and personally. They are most in danger of losing touch with reality and, in the extreme, becoming outright insane (as does Eleanor in Jackson's novel, The Haunting of Hill House). A few of these women who are also unmarried include the narrator of "The Daemon Lover," Marcia, and Elizabeth Style. However, the married female characters may also feel lonely, as do Mrs. Walpole, Mrs. Winning, and Emily Johnson. In some cases, their husbands are present but inconsequential or inattentive. In Emily's case, her husband is away in the army. Whatever the case, these female characters are most likely to usurp another's identity or lose their own. city life versus country life
Jackson's stories favor neither cities nor more rural settings. However, she does clearly demonstrate a difference in mentality and lifestyle between these two opposing locations. For example, in "Pillar of Salt," Margaret is a woman from the country who becomes wholly paralyzed by her vacation in New York. In contrast, Mrs. Hart moves from the city and attempts to settle into the country life, but finds herself constrained by the narrow-minded gossip of the village. She is unable to stand up for herself and refuse Mrs.