The Gothic Proof

The Gothic Proof: “Tell Tale Heart” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
According to Edward Quinn the definition of gothic literature is, “ A type of fiction that employs mystery, terror or horror, suspense, and the supernatural for the simple purpose of scaring the wits out of its readers;” writers in this genre created eerie environments and imagery to keep readers on edge. Many authors contributed to the genre over time, with Edgar Allen Poe writing “The Tell Tale Heart” in 1843, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman writing, “The Yellow Wallpaper” in 1892. Some may claim that these works are not, in fact, part of the gothic genre, simply because they were not set in a medieval setting with a castle, when truly, they helped build
The story is one of the original murder mysteries, where we understand who committed the crime, but never why the crime was committed. The narrator’s poor dealing with the theme of death in this story reveals a fear of death, a relatable theme for many readers. The question of how a person can easily kill another, burying his heart under the floorboards, is addressed and answered: it’s not possible without some form of madness, unless one was already mad. An underlying sense of mourning weaves throughout the story, placing the work solidly in the gothic literature genre.
Similarly, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, written in the same era, helps bring the gothic literary genre into the American psyche. Charlotte Perkins Gilman introduces the curious case of a woman trapped in a room by her husband, who believes her isolation is the best method to deal with an illness that is never revealed. As the author, and the narrator, are women, the themes are slightly different from Poe’s, but still reflect the gothic genre through the woman’s descent into
The narrator is losing her sanity, and the reader is witnessing this transition through the eyes of the victim: “I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors, but John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least” (Gilman, 219). The reader moves through the chaos that becomes the narrator’s psyche, especially as she begins to see a woman crawling beneath the wallpaper, who she becomes obsessed with. The author shows the reader the madness theme, rather than tell the writer directly that the woman behind the wallpaper did not actually exist. The narrator is losing reality, replacing it with hallucinations and stories. The madness theme grips the story completely, contributing to its place in gothic literature.
The implications of gender is the third theme in this work; it is true that gender, during the time of this writing, mattered in societal dealings. In fact, many gothic writings included the gender theme, targeting women for madness, murder, and all manner of negative traits. This work provides a gender subtext that stands out, as the narrator accepts her confinement, because it is forced onto her by her husband, whom she must obey. This oppression of women lives within the gothic writing genre, as it is viewed as tragic, especially through the eyes of female