Yellow Wallpaper

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte P. Gilman is a superb example of dramatic irony because the reader uses a less bias omniscient point of view to understand the plot better than the characters, which are block by emotions and a lack of information. The omniscient point of view that the readers assume allows them to see through the delusions of the narrator because they are not emotionally attached to any of the events that are taking place in the story, such as the hypnotic effects of the yellow wallpaper and the deterioration of the narrator’s mental capabilities. As a result of this detachment, the less bias view of the readers allows them to better predict the end of the story, which is the total insanity of the narrator. In addition, the complete information that is presented to the reader adds to the dramatic irony that intertwines with the resolution of the story. The author portrays the characters as misconstruing the actions of the narrator as if she is getting better, which the reader assumes that the characters think that the insanity is being cured. In reality, the narrator is getting more insane and eventually is driven to the point of delusion and incomprehension of what is really taking place around her. As her interpretation of the environment is inharmonious with what is really taking place, the reader is able to understand the illusions that the author has created around the narrator and fully sees the insanity of the narrator. The omniscient point of view of the readers and the dramatic irony allows the author to better construct the plot and allows for each reader to receive a different theme to the short story.