Midterm Essay Outline: “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte P Gilman

                                           “Black Cat” Edger Allen Poe

Intro (Thesis): How are the main characters in both stories relatable in relations to Gothic Action and Gothic Emotions.

  • Both main character in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Black Cat” have many gothic similarities even though the main character in “The Yellow Wallpaper”.
  • Both characters show many Gothic Actions such as dwelling in negativity, acting chaotic and irrationally.
  • Both characters show Gothic Emotions towards their spouse. The suspense and shock of the aftermath of their actions show they are pushing the limits of normal life.
  • Both stories are told in first person narration.

Body 1: Characters and Setting of each story

  • Narrator from “The Yellow Wallpaper” is about a woman who is unnamed. She is on prescriptions and is told to rest and relax by her husband John because she has not been doing well. The setting is a big house in a village that her husband has rented for three months so the main character does not fantasize and write. In the house she finds a room that was once a nursery with an ugly yellow wallpaper that she begins to obsess about.  
  • Narrator from “Black Cat” is about an unnamed man who is married and owns a black cat name Pluto among other animals. The man becomes abusive to his wife and pets including his beloved Pluto. He lives in a house with his wife where he kills Pluto and then his house burns down. His wife and him moves to an apartment where he kills his wife after meeting another black cat.

Body 2: Spirit of Perverseness. How each character continues to vex themselves throughout the story.

  • The Yellow Wallpaper: She starts a secret journal where she knows she shouldn’t because she is supposed to rest. She starts to think the yellow wallpaper is talking to her and there is a women trapped within the wallpaper. She continues to write about the wallpaper hiding it from John and Jennie. As she continues to vex herself with the wallpaper, she begins acting irrational thinking John and Jennie are not to be trusted. Finally, she cannot take the wallpaper anymore. She rips the yellow wallpaper down and locks herself inside the nursery until she gets every piece off freeing the women from within.
    • Add quote from story referencing above
  • “The Black Cat”: The man loves his black cat but suddenly become abusive towards his wife and pets. He hangs Pluto in his yard even though he knew it was wrong and he felt wrong for harming the cat. He felt bad for being abusive to his wife. He knew it was all wrong and regrets his actions.
    • His wife and him move to their new apartment. He befriends another black cat but again he begins to love the cat then grows to hate him. He tries to kill the cat, but his wife intervenes, and he kills her with an axe over the head.
    • He is in jail for the death of his wife writing about his actions and knows he has changed in a bad way.
      • Add quote from story referencing above

Conclusion:

In both stories the narrators pen their actions on a piece of paper. While both writing down their actions and how they have changed throughout the story they continue to vex themselves and dwelling in negativity. Both of their spouses loved them but both narrators pushed the limits of doing wrong.