The Troubled Wives

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The main commonality these two female characters share throughout the story is that they both follow the path of deterioration and death. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the longer the wife is isolated in the room with the wallpaper, she beings to hallucinate. She sees a woman trapped from behind the yellow wallpaper and becomes obsessed with trying to free the woman by tearing down the wallpaper. She becomes so obsessed that she throws the key to her room outside the window so she can tear down the rest of the wallpaper and when John and his sister finally open the door she is surrounded by shreds of wallpaper all over the floor. Johns wife states “I’ve got out at last, “said I, “in spite of you and Jane.” And I’ve pulled off most of the wallpaper, so you can’t put me back!” (Gilman) proving that she had gone mad. By freeing the woman behind the wallpaper, she could free herself as well but deteriorated her mental state and will be forever dependent on John. Jennie tried to warn him but he was stubborn in his ways and did not know better. In a “A Sorrowful Woman” she secludes herself when she realizes she isn’t fit to play the role of a wife and mother. As her depression worsens she locks herself in her room and eventually reached a point where she didn’t even want to interact with her husband or son anymore. She made them slip notes under the door and had her husband leave her draught outside the door. One day the wife feels guilty and attempts to try again to fulfill her role as a mother and wife by completing household duties and cooking an extravagant dinner. Little did she know this would be her last time and ended up draining what little strength she had left. She literally worked herself to death exhausting the last of her energy trying to fit into a role that did not and would sadly never suit her.

In conclusion, both female characters in “A Sorrowful Woman” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” are deeply troubled and trapped within their own minds. These women are suffering deeply, and the women are cut off from their surrounding worlds. Both women have different ways of dealing with their repression and perception of freedom. In each story is the relationships they hold with their family members has a large impact on the outcome of their health.

Works Cited

“GoodTherapy.org.” Learn about Emotional and Social Isolation, Treatment for. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2017.

Gilman, Charlotte P. “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1973): Print.

Godwin, Gail. “A Sorrowful Woman.” (1971):Print.