I have read the story a few times over and I wish that we’d also been able to read this story from another point of view. While I understand that that’s not the point of the story, I still would’ve liked more information from someone other than the narrator who was suffering from mental illness. Being that the narrator was not clear headed, I believe that this would have helped the reader understand more of what others thought the narrator was experiencing. I wonder how story was interpreted back when it was originally released because of the thought provoking content which was not well understood at that time. I found this story to be very captivating due to the rise to madness that the narrator experienced and seemed to be unaware of.  I’m unclear about the ending of this story, at some point she begins to talk of the rope she has hidden in her room. I thought this was indicating that she would commit suicide and then it just ends with John fainting. Her account of what was happening could not have been all there was because we can see how she turned mad. So much so that she thought she was the woman trapped in the wallpaper and she thought removing the wallpaper would free her. It left me wanting to know if there was something she wasn’t saying or something she didn’t say simply because she was so obsessed in her own world that there was no way she could understand how things seemed to everyone else. For all we know, she was in a mental hospital and there were bars on the window for her safety, Jennie was her nurse and John was simply her doctor. I think that this shows how society has been conditioned to tell people who suffer from mental illness that “it’s all in their head” and “there is no reason to suffer.”

“This Blessed House” is a interesting story about newly marriage couples Twinkle and Sanjeev. They don’t know each other that well and having difficulties to adjust with each other. They have their own expectations about what a husband and wife should be.  Sanjeev wants Twinkle  the way he expect, like to care about him and listen to him. But she is way out of his expectations. She does things that  she wants to do. Both have two different personalities. Their conflicts start when Twinkle begins to finding those Christ figurines. I don’t know why Twinkle is keeps finding those Christian paraphernalia and saved them in the mantel. Even her husband does not like it and  said her to get rid of those. Maybe she is curious about those figurines and sees them cute or there maybe be other reason why she is so curious about Christian religious stuff.  Which I found interesting about Twinkle.  Sanjeev is worried that if his coworkers see those Christ stuff, what they will think about it. Because they are not Christian, they are Hindus. He needs to sustain his social image and he is more likely traditional than twinkle. He is concerned about his personality.  But Twinkle does not care about it , she is free-spirited and adventurous . Where  Sanjeev is unadventurous and insecure. From Sanjeev perspective I think  it’s okay to be react like that about those Christ relics because they are not Christian. What his neighbors and relatives will think  if they saw Christian statute and poster at Hindus house. They most likely going to take it negatively.  But Twinkle is not caring about it and thinks those figurines as hidden treasures and found them interesting.  They are failed to live together with two different personality. They wouldn’t have that difficulties if they would of know each other well and get married. However, Different people have different mind and see things and think  from their own perspective which seems like fine, realistic about this story and conflicts between couples.

While reading The Blessed House, I came across a quote that made me laugh and made me think.

“Oh perhaps it’s an attempt to covert people” Twinkle mused “Clearly the scheme has succeeded in your case”

That made me think he’s trying impress others and not trying to be himself. His wife is full aware of the situation, that’s why she finds it amusing. She know’s this is fake and he needs to be a real person. This made me think to the time of my life when one of my old friends tried to flash money for moment, like I didn’t know he got his tax return. Like bro? really? People don’t have to put up a front to impress others. If you really wanna impress others than be yourself, it’s guarantee they’ll be impressed by who you really are.

What really struck me in “The Yellow Wallpaper” was how alone the patient was.  She was so far removed from her own treatment, her child, and own family.  She had nothing to do every day for months and was not allowed to write or socialize.  It was to the point where the unnamed character had no identity at all.  Since her autonomy was slowly taken from her, she found her “self” in the wallpaper.  She no longer thought of her family and child anymore and saw it as her task to figure out the wallpaper pattern.  It was as though she was trying to find herself in the crooked and puzzling print.  She would tear at it, call it disgusting, and she would stay up at night just thinking of the pattern and how lost and angry it made her feel.  Rather than being confused and disgusted by the actions of her husband and the neglect she felt towards her care, she projected her feelings towards the paper.  It was the paper’s fault she was angry, not her husbands.  She slowly saw women creeping in the wallpaper and eventually became the unhinged creepy women crawling through the grounds.

Jhumpa Lahiri’s “This Blessed House” shows the interaction between Twinkle and Sanjeev as they navigate through their first few months of marriage.  As they find more Christian paraphernalia in closets and bushes, you see the stark differences between the two characters.  While Sanjeev is introverted and practical, Twinkle saw the items as little treasures.  Despite the fact that both characters are young and look youthful, Sanjeev has a constant need to prove himself as an adult.  Twinkle’s child-like disposition made Sanjeev “him feel stupid, as if the world contained hidden wonders he could not anticipate, or see”.  Their stark personality contrasts and their inability to communicate were revealed every time Twinkle found another bust or snow globe.  Twinkle was ecstatic whenever a new Christian statue was found while Sanjeev would think of ways to hide it or throw it out (for fear of what others might think).

I think a lot of this story is Sanjeev trying to navigate through his feelings for Twinkle.  Though he hated the Christian busts and statues, he never got rid of anything other than the light switches.  He talks a lot about being unsure of his feelings and how he’s never been in love before so he doesn’t know what love should feel.  Even though he felt a “pang” as she descended down the ladder, he attributes a lot of that to her looks and her pearls.  At the end of the story, I’m still unsure of how he feels about her, but he lets her keep the bust and follows her anyway.

This Blessed House was a marvelous story.  I can read this again and again. Twinkle and Sanjiv are hilarious together.  This sweet little story tells of two people starting their  lives together and getting to know each others personalities. The thing I enjoyed most was that even though they were arranged by matchmakers, they were just like any other couple with flaws and querks that each had to get used to. Twinkle knew how to handle Sanjiv with patience, because Sanjiv was a person who worried about everything. Twinkle was a care free spirit.  Throughout the story the couple has various disagreements about whether or not to rid their home of the religious items that kept popping up. I sensed that Twinkle always knew she would have her way with her new husband.

Sanjiv had no more experience being married either, and it showed.  I laughed so many times reading his ridiculous comments about the religious artifacts.  However much he complained, Twinkle paid him no mind. That was funny to me. I really like his submission to her at the end. I guess the saying is true,  “A happy woman makes a happy home”.  This Sanjiv knew for sure.

I’m gonna come clean I didn’t think I would enjoy this reading. I don’t what through me off the title or how much reading this story had. But, as I took it serious and really put some  time into reading it I started to enjoy it. It wasn’t enjoyment what I was reading, it was a issue that is going on in society that is being acknowledge in this reading. I’m all for Women’s rights and to read this story made see that the husband is someone who wants to make his wife a housewife. He wants to control her,her mind and her actions. He doesn’t want her to escape and have enjoyment.

For me he’s out of line ! the way he talks to his wife like she is worthless and just there for no reason. He tries to baby her but only because she gets mad. He doesn’t think when he speaks and he doesn’t understand the words he says have a big impact on her feelings.

The wife has a lot of patience because I know a lot of women who would not put up with that relationship.A relationship should contains to equal boundaries.It’s not fair that the husband can only do what he wants to do. The wife should be able to do what she wants to do.He shouldn’t control her and she shouldn’t  control him.

I personally think he doesn’t love her, he just loves to control her.

Best,

Jonathan Sanchez

“It’s so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my work” I had to read this maybe 3 or 4 times over. While I was reading the rest of the article, all I could thinking about was that one sentence. I couldn’t figure out why it was the first thing on my mind. My mind wouldn’t let me grasp anything else after I read that sentence.  I realized that it sounded so much like me. I used to constantly think like this. Although, sometimes I still do. Trust me, it’s not the funnest thing to think like that. I believe that at a certain point in life, we all seek validation from someone else because we feel that it’s the right thing to do. We are taught that we shouldn’t make decisions without consulting someone else first when in fact, that is not 100 percent correct. I used to seek so much validation from another person when it came to even dressing myself up, almost anything. I learned that I needed to do things for myself and by myself because there are so many people that are out here to hurt you and don’t have good intentions. You would think that just because they say certain things to make you feel better or so called help you out that they won’t hurt you when in fact, they’re the first ones to hurt you. In The Yellow Wallpaper, she mentions how she just wanted someone to listen but nobody would listen or just thought she was crazy. She wanted to feel accepted, she wanted her husband to make her feel human again. Her husband didn’t understand that though. He just gave her pills and barely listened to her. He disregarded half the things she said to him. Having nobody to listen to her about her work discouraged her and didn’t even give her the strength to write anymore.

I enjoyed reading The Yellow Wall Paper. I also enjoyed the classroom discussion and the exchange of ideas of the reading. There was miles of ambiguity to this story. So much to draw from and ideas. I believe the woman in the story was mentally ill in some way. She may have been driven to her mental state by some circumstance the reader doesn’t know, or perhaps her husband has convinced  her of it, or the other thought could be the medications could be causing her to hallucinate.

The story is still very interesting whatever conclusion a reader derives from it.

The contrast in the story as I viewed it was while she had a distaste for the wall paper she is getting some level of pleasure from her study of it.

She is like a great deal of women in life. Some are trapped in their circumstances and don’t really know how to get out.  While she is physically in a room she doesn’t desire, some women are trapped by their mentally, perhaps not having the mental strength to get out of their situation,

My opinion about her husband is a strong one.  I can think of many negative adjectives to describe him but, right now I will simply say he seems extremely selfish to no end.  Why has he locked her away in this child like room?  After all she is his wife. Even if she has some mental issues why are they not sleeping in the same room or the same bed for that matter? My thought is he really doesn’t love her the way a husband should. I will go so far as to say even the patient doctor relationship is a mess.  This woman has no support network. No one to rise up and advocate on her behalf.  So sad.  This poor woman is in a somewhat abusive situation at the hand of her”husband/doctor”.  Shes being told how to live her own life!

However depressing her situation or the story, it is a good read and one to ponder about the way women have been treated and dismissed in society over history and to the present day.

Renee Mans.

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