Poe’s “The Raven” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, Research Paper Example

Edgar Allen Poe and Charlotte Gilman were noted for their gothic style of writing.  Both writers used a great deal of symbolism in their work, which gave the literature power and meaning. Poe was an American author whose works preceded those of Gilman’s.  His use of terror and the supernatural made him famous as one of the popular gothic writers. Among Poe’s most well known works are “The Raven,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Black Cat.” Additionally, Poe used his writing to express political sentiments, particularly regarding racism, slavery, and social distinctions between the Southern United States and Europe with Poe supporting the concept of slavery. Gilman was an American feminist residing in New England and had literary works that reviewed and discussed the physical and mental health conditions of women during this time.  The inspiration for “The Yellow Wallpaper,” first published in 1892, came from Gilman’s personal experience as a patient after having a near mental breakdown. She was particularly critical of her physician, Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, whom she consulted after suffering from acute bouts of depression (Gilman 16). One of the literary devices employed by both Gilman and Poe is imagery, which is often used to make the subject both more meaningful and interesting and as such increase the intrigue to the reader. There are symbolic links between the works of Gilman and Poe and these can be examined through an analysis of “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Raven.”  Edgar Allen Poe and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, two authors who seem to have little in common, both wrote narratives that reflected the darkness of their personas.

Poe’s life was one frequently embroiled in tragedy and hardship.  He was orphaned at a young age and when he did marry, his wife Virginia Clemm died when she was only 25 on January 30, 1847 (Benton).  After his wife’s death, Poe fell grievously ill and although he recovered in March 1847, his mood from then on fluctuated between happy and optimistic or miserable and in despair until his death on October 7, 1849 (Benton).  Because of his deep attachment to Virginia, it can be argued that “The Raven” was possibly inspired by her when Poe had come to terms with the possibility she might die and was to force to contemplate his and her mortality when she became seriously ill in 1842 after Virginia “burst a blood vessel while singing” (Benton).  In “The Raven,” paradoxically published before Virginia’s death, the narrator attempts to come to terms with the death of his beloved Lenore.  In the poem, the narrator talks to a raven that visits a distressed him and ultimately traces his emotions as he steps into the depths of insanity. The raven is a mysterious bird, symbolic of death, which repeats the words ‘nevermore.’ The narrator asks the raven questions, but it only answers ‘Nevermore.’ As such he will never be reunited with his Lenore and his soul shall be lifted ‘Nevermore.’  Through this repeated pattern, it appears as though Poe is trying to come to terms with the loss of a loved one or at least prepare himself for the inevitable loss of Virginia.

Similarly, “The Yellow Wallpaper” was inspired by personal experiences and her observations on how women were treated at the time.  Gilman stated that the intention of the story was not to irritate or make people mad, but rather an intervention to try and help other people who suffered from severe bouts of depression from going insane.  The story influenced her life by helping her to regain her independence and freedom and provided her with the self-confidence to resume her work. It is important to note that this was a time of great change in New England and the women were rising in power as the spiritual and moral leaders of their homes.

Gilman was a strong advocate for women’s rights and fought for more recognition for their place and role in society. She was a strong believer in the financial independence of women and believed men should not subjugate them. It can be argued the treatment prescribed by the male physician was viewed as being another example of male dominance and as such a reason to resist his prescription of ‘rest cure’ and consider it derogatory.

In “The Raven,” Poe is forced to come to terms with the inevitable and impending loss of yet another woman he loves in his life.  Through the poem’s narrative, Poe explores his fears and foreshadows the insanity he is doomed to fall into when Virginia does die.  On the other hand, Perkins writes not only to convey her personal experiences to the reader, but also to raise awareness about how horribly women were treated and how they were expected to behave.

Edgar Allan Poe and Charlotte Perkins Gilman both show symptoms of being afflicted with a mental illness.  While there are many theories surrounding what lead to his death, Poe’s mental state is also up for discussion.  “Several incidents, including a suicide attempt, suggest that Poe suffered from some kind of mental illness, and the modern researcher Kay Redfield Jamison has presented compelling evidence that he was manic-depressive” (Canada).  On the other hand, Gilman was diagnosed with post-partum depression after the birth of her daughter. Postpartum psychosis is a form of clinical depression that, in its severest form, requires immediate treatment (Dillon, 2007).   It is a relatively rare condition and most commonly associated with mothers having just given birth.  Conditions include delusions, and imagining one is hearing things that do not exist.  This major depression and mood disorder, if left untreated, can lead towards serious mental illness and risks of suicidal tendencies.  The symptoms are often associated with bipolar disorder.

The psychological impact of the respective authors can be seen in their works. Poe’s works often explore what causes madness and the effects of it.  For instance, the narrator’s in “The Raven,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Black Cat” all show symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia.  In “The Raven,” the narrator repeatedly questions a raven that he believes will provide him the answers about Lenore, his lost love, that will help him gain some peace of mind (Poe, “The Raven”).  On the other hand, the narrator, Montresor, in “The Cask of Amontillado” appears to be delusional as he justifies his actions by claiming that he had been wronged by Fortunato, however, only Montresor knows what slight was committed against him; neither Fortunato nor the reader is privy to this information (Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado”). Montresor indicated that he received a “thousand injuries,” although no substantive reasons are provided. The reader is left to determine the cause of the motives, including the probability that Montresor was in fact insane.  The narrator in “The Black Cat” also shows symptoms of having hallucinations and demonstrates delusional behaviour.  In a twist, Poe also introduces alcohol into the story’s narrative and explores the effects it has on an individual’s behaviour and the negative impacts thereof.

Alternately, Gilman explores the very real consequence of depression and psychosis in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and is able to do so in a realistic manner by projecting her personal experiences and thoughts into the story’s narrator. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a fictional narrative that focuses on an unnamed narrator and the negative psychological effects endured after she was confined due to her mental state and how, as a result of this confinement, lapsed into psychosis.  This psychosis was manifested in an obsession of the pattern of the yellow wallpaper in her room. It made her think of all the foul and horrible things that were yellow, as opposed to beautiful yellow objects like buttercups.  She also associated sensory smells with the yellow wallpaper and hence the foul odour became a ‘yellow smell.’ The narrator starts to experience hallucinations where she becomes entangled in the patterns of the wallpaper, which is essentially a decline into the realms of insanity.

Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” uses supernatural and mythological symbols to explore the relationship between good and evil and reason and insanity. The raven is considered to be an evil creature that is symbolic of black magic and the devil. In the poem, the narrator’s beloved Lenore is compared to Helen of Troy, who represents beauty, and a reference to the bust of Pallas, who is representative of the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom. This is symbolic of the fact that grief and sorrow displace wisdom and common sense in the man’s life.

In addition to “The Raven,” the short story, “The Cask of Amontillado” is also rich in symbolism.  The plot of the story is based upon murder and revenge.  It is not a mystery or detective story, and the mystery resides in the actual motives for which the character, Montresor, committed murder. There are some contradictions in the story, for example, Fortunato is introduced to the readership as a wine expert: “…he becomes so drunk he would be unable to identify the Amontillado and treats De Grave, an expensive French wine, with little regard by drinking it in a single gulp” (Poe).

Poe’s “The Black Cat,” published in 1843, focuses upon the deteriorating life of an alcoholic, but also involves animal abuse and murder. Like “The Raven,” Poe’s “The Black Cat” also incorporates elements of mythology into its narrative. In the story, the narrator’s cat is named Pluto, the Roman God of the Underworld, who is symbolic of the devil and hell. The black cat symbol is also associated with bad luck and misfortune, and is often used to depict the insanity of the narrator as he spins out of control due to the worsening effects of alcoholism. This gothic tale becomes more shocking as it leads the reader inside the mind of an insane person and ultimately it leaves them to ponder the shocking story and the acts committed by the man, i.e. the walling up of his wife and the black cat in the cellar.

Poe’s use of imagery in “The Cask of Amontillado” also help the reader to understand how personal experiences shaped the stories he wrote.  In the story, Montresor was of noble birth and yet he demonstrates brick laying skills, more normally associated with the working class.  It is known that Poe had knowledge of the subject matter in his personal life and as such appreciated the visual horrors of such an abstraction to his audience.  Poe worked in a brickyard late in the fall of 1834. Vincent Buranelli made a number of observations about the story and, in more general terms, about Poe’s morbid fascination with death.  The gothic style of Poe’s writing has a distinct sense of morbidity about it, e.g.: “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged” (Poe).   The analysis of the phrase is interesting in that it suggests a building of insufferance from the relationship with Fortunato, culminating in a final insult that threw Montresor into a fit of rage and ultimately to a plot of murder.  For this to build into such a state illustrates the apparent lack of dialogue and trust between the two supposed friends.  This also leads the reader to question the state of mind and even the sanity of Montresor. 

Through the use of imagery and symbolism, Gilman is able to describe the horrors she thought and experienced due to her mental breakdown.  Gilman wrote in a Gothic style similar to Edgar Allen Poe and used a great deal of symbolism in her work.  Like Poe her work was very dark and sombre by nature and illustrated the dark side of human nature and evoked a sense of pity for human society. When looking at the yellow wallpaper, the narrator saw visions of other women trapped and incarcerated behind bars.  She came to realise she could no longer live in this way. Towards the end of the story, Gilman’s husband lies on the floor in an unconscious state and she is seen to crawl over him, which is symbolic of her being able to rise above him but at the cost of her sanity. Gilman writes, “I never saw a worse paper in my life,” which is a symbolic reference to the barriers men have enforced upon women.  Gilman is making the point that inequality for women is a hideous act imposed by men (Gilman).  Furthermore, in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator also describes her relationship with her physician husband.  Despite her feeling ill, he assures her that she is well. Her brother supports this same prognosis, representing another example of inequality and lack of respect for women being both ignored and oppressed.

The symbolic use of the garden, which represents society, can be seen in the phrase, “I can see the garden, those mysterious deep shaded arbors…” and includes a reference to the mysterious possibilities that nature shows to women. This symbolism continues in the comments “…a lovely view of the bay and a private wharf belonging to the Estate.” The narrator looks at the men walking freely about the Estate and how this access is forbidden to women and clearly how other activities of society are not made available to women (Gilman).  This observation is also indicative of the perception that men considered women to have limitations and being only capable of accomplishing limited tasks.  Throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman provides numerous uses of symbolism to illustrate the oppression of women and how female society struggles to break free from this bondage.  The story also indicates the mental restrictions placed upon women in the 1800s and how this caused them to suffer. Gilman illustrates the vast potential of women and how they could have made an important contribution if freed from the constraints imposed upon them by men.

By tapping into their personal experiences, both Poe and Gilman were able to create narratives that did not only serve to inspire terror in their readers, but also allow the reader to understand the impact personal experiences had on the writers.  Poe’s psychological highs and lows are a central theme in “The Raven,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Black Cat.” Through these narrators, Poe tried to examine and understand the underlying factors that led to his depression and resolve any issues he may have had.  On the other hand, Gilman used “The Yellow Wallpaper” to bring attention to the very real issue of depression and psychosis.  Gilman also used the story to bring attention to the way in which women were unequally treated and how they were forced to suffer in silence.

There are clear links between Gilman and Poe’s style of writing.  Both make use of symbolism to enrich the story in order to get the attention of the reader and make them understand the plight of the situations they relate. The effects of mental illness in a background of controversial sociological conditions also help to influence the style of writing.

Works Cited

Benton, Richard P. “Friends and Enemies: Women in the Life of Edgar Allan Poe.” Myths and

Reality. Baltimore: The Edgar Allan Poe Society, 1987; pp. 1-25. Web. 5 December 2012.

Canada, Mark, ed. “Edgar Allan Poe.” Canada’s America. 1997. Web. 5 December 2012.

Dillon, Connie. Postpartum Depression and Psychosis: From The Yellow Wallpaper to Now. 17 9 2007. Web. 2 December 2012.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader. Edited Anne J. Lane. New York: University of Virginia Press, 1999. Print

—. The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman: An Autobiography. London: University of Wisconsin Press, 1990. Print

Poe, Edgar A. “The Black Cat.” Web. 2 December 2012.

—————-. “The Cask of Amontilado.” 1846. Web. 2 December 2012.

—————-. “The Raven.” Web. 2 December 2012.

Shulman, Robert. “Poe and the Powers of the Mind.” ELH Vol 37(2) (1970): 245-262. Journal