preview

Compare And Contrast The Tell Tale Heart And The Yellow Wallpaper

Decent Essays

Compare and contrast; “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Are these stories really just typical short stories of the ghost story genre? Or are they more different than you think? “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are both famous ghost stories of the 19th century. These authors paved a way for a new breed of ghost story, the psychological thriller. Both stories prey equally on creative minds, leaving the reader to eventually decide the fate of the principal role. The authors use major characters in the first person participant to narrate both stories, which supports the unreliable narrator. This enhances the story by giving the reader added insight into a subject that he or she is less likely to understand or relate to. Had the story been told through any other point of view, the reader would not have gotten as clear of a picture as to exactly is going on in the minds of each character especially since craziness is not necessarily a quality that everyone can relate to. This also adds edge to the stories.

In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the story is written for a reason, to demonstrate how women were treated in society in the 19th century. The first person narrator shows irrational behavior but is aware that other people find this behavior unusual as she has stated, “I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I

Get Access