A Comparison of Women's Role Characters in two Novels

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A society that is surrounded with male dominated characters is the primary causes of the way these two women turn out to become later in life. In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” the attendance of the female lead is the chosen point of how much a male dominated person can turn a woman’s mind towards insanity. The two stories that are chosen to demonstrate the causes a male dominant character can have towards a love one can completely destroy the mental and physical stability a woman has. In “A Rose for Emily” there is the main character that experiences a chronic shock over the loss of her father and tries to find a replacement for the man in her life. The need to have someone with the main character is present throughout the whole piece but in turns in an obsessive need for control and thus murder of the man she loves. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the main character goes through severe depression after the birth of her child, thus, given the rest cure to help her get better. With nothing to occupy her time her mental state goes and her sense of self. This characteristic is embodied through the love that a father or husband can have towards a daughter or wife. In addition, both authors’ exploration of the sense of control, obsession, and loneliness that the character experience are the main contribution that are used to establish what the main character in both stories experience. A common theme of the predisposition that is caused by the loved ones that come and go in their lives but are still a dominating factor. The feeling of being controlled by her father has lead Emily to experience nothing but fear to ever be alone, thus, the extremes she goes through to secure her fe... ... middle of paper ... ...tation in which the main characters find that they see is constant. There is always the what if thoughts but this is the outcome of the controlling, obsessive, and loneliness that each of the character experiences throughout the story. Works Cited Con, Harsh Grim. "Alienation in The Yellow Wallpaper." Cowboy Hat. N.p., 1 Oct. 2004. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 31-37. Print. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 473-83. Print. Havok. "The Progression of Madness in 'The Yellow Wallpaper'" - Non-fiction Essay. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Web.

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