The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper (YW) is a novel written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This short story consists of nine pages which are approximately 6000 words. The New England Magazine was the one who first published The Yellow Wallpaper in January 1892. This story is such an autobiography of Gilman herself in which tells that she suffered from neurasthenia. YW is an epistolary novel; story that written in kind of letter form. In Indonesia, we also have epistolary novel titled Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang composed by R.A. Kartini. The story also has been classified a gothic and horror fiction. Below are the elements of fiction of this story.



Gilman carried feminism as her theme in this story. Feminism is the belief and aim that women should have the same rights, power, and opportunities as men. YW illustrated women’s condition in 19th century, in which they did not have rights as men did. Gilman symbolized women’s imprisonment as The Yellow Wallpaper itself. Yellow is convinced representing woman. Additionally, the frame of the wallpaper represents prison. Through The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman tried to fight for women in order to raise women’s degree.

There are six characters in this short story. They are the narrator, John, Jennie, Henry, Julia and Mary. The first character is the narrator (anonymous). She is a protagonist character that has main role in this story. Second character is John as an antagonist who has a conflict to the protagonist. He is the narrator’s husband. Next character is Jennie. She is John’s sister which means she is the narrator’s sister-in-law. Then, the fourth character is Henry. He is John’s cousin. The fifth character is Julia. She is also John’s cousin. The last character is Mary. Mary is John’s housekeeper and babysitter. All of the characters belong to round character, because they have complex character which means that they have only one characteristic.

Six characters that mentioned above have different characteristics. The narrator is a young wife that suffered from temporary nervous depression. She becomes gradually insane because of her anxiety. John, the narrator’s husband, is a physician. Actually, John loves his wife so much, but he shows his affection in improper way; he is too protective to the narrator. Jennie (the narrator’s sister-in-law) is one who takes care of the narrator during her illness. She is an understanding person. Henry and Julia is John’s cousin. They are not including in this story directly. Mary is one who responsible either for the narrator and John’s house or their baby. As a result, characters in this story are dynamic.


Characterization also takes a big part in building a story. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the author uses mixing method of characterization. Mixing method is combination of discursive and dramatic method. Telling directly the characteristics to the reader named discursive method. In this story, discursive method can bee seen in sentence ‘and also of high standing’. In contrast, dramatic method is a method in which there is no information about how the characteristics of the character are; the readers have to conclude the characteristics themselves. As can be seen in how the narrator tells people surround her are. Those characters, their own characteristics and how the author characterizes them make this story alive.
            
Another important elements of fiction is Setting. Setting is divided into two big branches. The first setting is physical setting. Place, time, weather and environment are included into this physical setting. This story takes place in a colonial mansion –including ancestral hall and bedroom- and garden. Time setting of this story is daylight and moonlight during three months they rented the house. In addition, they rent the house in summer. The environment of that mansion is quiet and peaceful. The second one is social or spiritual setting. Social setting of The Yellow Wallpaper is the inferiority of woman in that era. The story clearly tells how a husband treats his wife. Both physical and social setting is like the package of the story.
            
Plot is like the breath of the story; without plot the story is nothing. This story has closed plot. The author clearly tells how the story ends. Moreover, Gilman is chronologically ordering sentence by sentence so that the story is built in good arrangement.
°         
    The first stage of plot is exposition. In this exposition, the writer introduces the story and its elements –like characters, characteristics and physical setting. As could be seen in the first page, exposition of this story is begun by the introduction of the house (colonial mansion), John’s character and occupation, and the narrator.
°         The second stage is rising action. The characters begin having conflict in this stage. There are four basic conflicts in The Yellow Wallpaper; they are person vs. person, person vs. self, person vs. nature and person vs. fate. Person vs. person conflict is telling how the conflict starts between the narrator and her husband does. It could be known from sentence ‘you see he does not believe I am sick.’ The second basic conflict is person vs. self. The narrator said ‘I do not know why I should write this?’ which means that she has a controversial thought against herself. Person vs. nature conflict in this story is about the beginning problem between the narrator and the wallpaper. This conflict could be seen in sentence ‘I used to feel that if any of the other things looked too fierce. I could always hop into that chair and be safe.’ The last conflict is person vs. fate; telling what problem with the fate she has. It is written in the fifth page, ‘what a fortunate escape! Why I wouldn’t have a child of mine, an impressionable little thing live in such a room for world.
°         The third stage is climax. Climax is the turning point of the story; the protagonist could not solve the problem herself. Beginning with this sentence ‘I really have discovered something at last’, that is the climax of the story.
°         Falling action is the next stage. The main role as if could solve her problem herself, but in fact she could not. The proof of this stage is the sentence ‘Hurrah! This is the last day, but it is enough.’
°         The last stage is denouement. This is the closing of the story. It could be seen in ‘I’ve got out at last.’
            
At last but not the least, coming to the most important part of the fiction is the moral value behind the story. In the 19th century, men are superior and women are inferior.  Therefore, Gilman intentionally influences the readers, especially women, to fight for the equality of rights, power and opportunities as the men get. In addition, Gilman is a feminist. Another lesson is the bad effect of keep a tight rein on somebody. Although we love this somebody so bad, we had better not to force his or her to follow what we want. We should be happy if someone that we love is always happy. It means that we love somebody we ought to love her or him just the way they are. That should we know from this story.
             
Those mentioned above are the elements of fiction. Those elements consist of theme, character, characteristic, characterization, setting and plot. Value behind the text is the additional aspect that should be considered in analyzing literary arts, especially fiction. Analyzing fiction is not only analyzing the elements, but also the moral value. It will be perfectly perfect if we could apply those good moral values to our daily life.           

0 comments:

Posting Komentar

Stay Tune

Nur Inda Jazilah © 2012. Diberdayakan oleh Blogger.

Copyright © / Nur Inda JaziLah

Template by : Urang-kurai / powered by :blogger