The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Lawrence Durrells Zero and Asylum in the Snow :: Wallpaper Asylum gilman Durrell Essays

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Lawrence Durrells goose egg and Asylum in the SnowSociety is a close-knit unit of individuals who unwittingly conform to an ensample set by them. The ideal that I speak of is not set in st nonpareil, but is ever changing, as is society. This changing ideal appears to be threatened by individual retrieveers who rebel against social norms and who refuse to support conformity. This rebellion is exemplified in The Yellow Wallpaper, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and in Lawrence Durrells story, Zero and Asylum in the Snow. These stories both involve characters that argon labelled as sick in relation to the people who mesh well with society. Society, however, has peculiar methods of healing these characters and succeeds merely to force them further away from reality and deeper into a conscious dream world. Conscious in the previous line, refers to how one may dream while awake, yet no outsider may become involved in the dream. A dream world is not necessarily a bad place to dwell, and is only perceive as being bad because not everyone can freely enter its walls. Moreover, the walls are unique to each dreamer, therefore, are transparent. This uniqueness is shown in the short stories I am focusing on. For Durrell, the walls were as white as snow, and for Gilman they are covered in crude yellow wallpaper. When reading these stories, it is easy for one to become confused. It is rocky for the reader to understand exactly what is trying to be said, because these stories are so personal. Durrell and Gilman attempt to give some form of insight into their characters minds, but we as readers are restricted by our thoughts. How can we conceive anothers dream world? It is possible only through an open mind one must not think that the author is talking about nonsense, for this way of thinking proves the success society has in grooming our thoughts to fit within its standards. In Zero and Asylum in the Snow, we are i ntroduced to a character that seems to be rambling to some unknown person about nonsensical illusions of snow, farmyards, Christianity, and five other existing characters. As one progresses through the story, one realizes that the snow Durrell writes of is everywhere. It surrounds the character, which is later revealed to be Durrell himself, and chimes about them and he can do nothing, nothing.