Comparing The Yellow Wallpaper And The Turn Of The Screws

Cylina Schibig

Paris Hendry

English 2020

2 April 2023

Yellow Wallpaper and Turn of the Screws

One of the most lethal pandemics in recorded human history was the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death. Between 75 and 200 million individuals are thought to have perished during the 14th century. The disease was caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis that was spread by fleas living on rats. The bubonic plague had a profound impact on society, leading to economic collapse, social unrest, and religious upheaval.

Similarly, the unreliable narrator is a literary device that has been used throughout history to create suspense and tension in storytelling. Two famous examples of unreliable narrators can be found in the short

She becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room and begins to see patterns and shapes in it that she believes represent a trapped woman trying to escape. As her mental state deteriorates, she becomes convinced that she is the woman behind the wallpaper and tears it down in an act of liberation.

On the other hand, in The Turn of the Screw, the narrator is a governess hired to care for two orphaned children at a remote country estate. She begins to see ghostly apparitions of former servants who had died under mysterious circumstances. However, it soon becomes clear that these ghosts may only exist in her mind, as no one else sees them or even acknowledges their existence.

While both narrators are unreliable due to their mental instability, there are some key differences between them. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator's unreliability stems from her confinement and lack of agency within her own life. Her husband dismisses her concerns and gaslights her into believing that she is imagining things. In contrast, in The Turn of the Screw, the narrator's unreliability is more ambiguous. It is unclear whether the ghosts she sees are real or simply a product of her

The bubonic plague caused widespread death and suffering, while unreliable narrators continue to captivate readers with their unique perspectives and ability to subvert expectations. The bubonic plague is one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, causing widespread death and suffering across Europe during the 14th century. Similarly, unreliable narrators have become a staple of modern literature, captivating readers with their unique perspectives and ability to subvert expectations. While these two phenomena may seem unrelated, they share several similarities and differences that are worth exploring.

One key similarity between the bubonic plague and unreliable narrators is their ability to disrupt established norms and expectations. The bubonic plague caused widespread panic and fear as people struggled to make sense of this new and deadly disease. Similarly, unreliable narrators challenge readers' assumptions about what is real and what is not, forcing them to question their own perception of