Comparing The Yellow Wallpaper And The Tell-Tale Heart

“The Tell-Tale Heart”, written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843, shows the mental deterioration of an unnamed narrator. Similarly, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, although written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman almost fifty years later, also centers around an unnamed narrator who is mentally devolving. Accordingly, certain aspects of the narrator’s surroundings cause this degradation. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” these effects originate from the wallpaper in her room. Equivalently, in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” they arise equally from the eye and the heart of the old man, the narrator's neighbor whom he murders. Along with these objects, the setting of both short stories contribute to the languishing of the narrator’s intellect. Despite being written by different

Davison explains that the narrator spends all her time watching the wallpaper (54). Because of this, she becomes so fixated that she is literally incapable of thinking of anything else. This kind of fixation or inability to mentally escape can result in harmful effects (Davison 55) . Correspondingly, King and Morris explain that the wallpaper seems to haunt the narrator (28). This means that it completely takes over her mind. This is unhealthy for anyone because people need a variety of thoughts throughout the day (King and Morris 28). People’s mental health is impaired if they do not have this thought variety in their life (King and Morris 29). This extreme fixation is evident in “The Yellow Wallpaper” when the narrator states,“I don't want to leave now until I have found it out. (Gilman 474)” This shows that the narrator is concentrating very hard on the wallpaper and is trying to analyze it. She is completely dedicated to discovering all there is to know about this wallpaper. This therefore shows she has an obsession with it. Along with this, the quote shows her mental state is declining. This is because it proves that she is incapable of thinking of anything other than the paper. Accordingly, this shows how severe her obsession is. Which adds to the theme because any obsession this strong is unhealthy for the

Pitchner proposes this when he explains that no man would, in the right mind, confess to a crime (233). He states that it is the fear of the heart that forces the narrator to admit to murder. This is towards the end of the story when the narrator develops an irrational fear of the sound of the heart beating in the floor. This fear leads to the narrator’s confession. Similarly, Witherington explains that the narrator has a fear of the heartbeat being discovered. He states that this fear leads him to believe that his only option was to admit to the crime (473). The narrator’s fear and confession are seen in “The Tell-Tale Heart” when the narrator exclaims, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -- tear up the planks! -- here, here! -- it is the beating of his hideous heart! (Poe 38)” The narrator’s fear of the heartbeat is evident here. This shows that his fear is so strong that it leads him to completely collapse mentally. This shows the moment that he reaches his breaking point and admits to the murder. This contributes to the theme because this was an object that was found in the narrator’s surrounding. Subsequently, it is this object that drives his mind to the absolute breaking point, which proves his