Essay Comparing The Yellow Wallpaper And A Good Man Is Hard To Find

The tone and style in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” are similar. Both short stories are written with a casual tone which leads to a shocking twist when the reader finishes the short story, leading to a lasting impression by the end done through both the author’s writing style and both beginning with a commonplace tone before escalating. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” writing in a diary-like entry, leads readers to enter the mind of the protagonist. This creates the effect of writing a letter to a friend or family member on the outside. “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes. I’m sure I never used to be so sensitive” (). The laid-back language used makes the reader connect

According to Loralee MacPike, in the article “Environment as Psychopathological Symbolism in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’,” which appeared in American Literary Realism 1870-1910 in 1975, “The story line is deceptively simple” (1). The diary-like entries provide a sense of comfort and familiarity in the beginning, eventually revealing the protagonist’s descent into madness. Gilman’s choice to present the story in a diary-like format creates a false sense of security for readers. By drawing them into the protagonist’s innermost thoughts and experiences, Gilman establishes an empathetic connection between readers and the protagonist. As the narrative unravels and the true nature of the protagonist’s situation is revealed, this sense of security is shattered, leaving readers to think about the unsettling conclusion. Similarly, in “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” O’Connor employs a casual and unassuming tone throughout the narrative, throwing off readers as the short story unfolds. O’Conner uses straightforward language and writes about normal events, such as “They drove off again into the hot