“The Husband’s Side of Life”

Beep beep beep! “What’s this? She’s in labor. My wife’s in laboreveryone, I must leave at once.” Where’s my keys, John breathe think, oh here they are. This is going to be the longest 5 minute drive of my life.

“Where’s room 309?” “Right down the hall sir.” Said the Nurse

I better slow down I’m running out of breathe.

“John you’re here” says Jane, “of course, now it’s time to have our son.”

After 10 hours of labor we are exhausted. It was a stressful delivery, emergency cesarean. Thankfully mom and baby are in good health. I will have to take over lots of duties in the next week or so while she heals.

“Darling would you like to hold him, I can assist you?” “Not right now I’m too tired” she said.

Days like this turn into weeks, weeks turn into months. I had to hire a stay home nanny and have my sister Jennie move in to look after my family as I had to go back to work.

Work has become my life. At home I didn’t want to be in Jane’s way, all she would ever speak about was the ugly wallpaper in our bedroom. She hasn’t progressed she analyses the wallpaper in a way that she drives herself insane. Not calling my wife crazy, she’s just putting too much attention on unnecessary things instead of her health. I love my wife I want her back, back the way she once was. Writing about beautiful things and places full of life.

Our son is growing, my poor child needs love and affection from his mother. I try as much as I can and Jennie is great trying to play the mother role. But she’s not his mother, it’s a lot for Jennie she cannot have children of her own. Meanwhile Jane bared a child and doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Home is dreadful, but it’s home. I have horrid thoughts while I’m away at work, as soon as I open the estates door I run up to Jane’s room to check on her and hope she hasn’t harmed herself in away. I discussed anti-depressants for her with her brother, he agreed that taking something might actually help her relax. She slept better that night, but she’s still not my Jane. Will I ever get her back?

“Jane dear please go for a walk, some fresh air might do you well” “yes darling” said Jane

Finally she listened, getting out might be good for her. I wanted her gone so I can take a good look at the hideous wallpaper.

First thing I notice it yellow, ugly yellow not a happy bright yellow, with uneven patterns. Ahh that must be what bothers her. It’s not aligned correctly. This paper must’ve shifted with the heat and melted, no one has lived her in years. That can be irritating, there’s no beauty in the room. I thought possibly with this room previously being a nursery she might want to connect with our child.

“Jennie! Please come in here”

“Yes John, please hurry this room isn’t well” she said

“That’s exactly what I wanted to speak with you about. What do you see when you look into this wallpaper.” I asked curiously.

“John, I see Jane. Jane’s somehow lost in there. I notice the yellow and how it stains one’s clothing. Jane’s clothes always have patches of yellow as if she was sleeping on a yellow stained bed. I do wish you would take it down for her.” Said Jennie.

We only have a day left in this house, maybe I should’ve redecorated or listened to Jane and went into another room. Unfortunately I now have to leave for work over night tonight. This can be well for Jane, some closure or at very least happiness that she will never see the wallpaper again.

“Jennie, would you please stay with Jane tonight?”

“I will John, safe travels brother. Don’t worry about us here?” Jennie replied

My dear sister if only it was that easy to not worry. As I worked all I could think of was that wallpaper and what it has done to Jane. She looked at it as if someone was looking back her.

Now to get ready to go home. It’s been a strange 3 months. Let’s see how Jane will be in the comfort her own home. “Let’s get going everyone, the sooner we have everything together the sooner we are out of here”. I yelled.

“Jane dear, it’s John, I’m ready to take you home.”

“John” she said

“Open this door”

“I can’t, but you can from the outside with the key” she replied

I can’t get this door open, she doesn’t sound well. I hope she’s safe and my worst fear hasn’t come true. She cannot be harmed. I need her I love her. Finally it’s open.

“What the matter with you Jane, I nearly had a heart attack for god’s sake your yellow”

“I’m free!” she whispered

Maybe I was wrong for bringing her here and I shouldn’t have left her last night.

“What do you mean by free.”

“I’ve ripped off the wallpaper, so you can’t put me back” she said

Now I understand she was so lost and confined she saw herself in the yellow wallpaper. Oh no what’s that I think I’m having that heart attack now.

 

 

Comparison Essay

“The Yellow Wall-Paper” and “The Husband’s Side of Life”

First person narration is usually the most detailed and informativeform of writing. With this narration you get inside a characters mind and feel their emotions. “The Yellow Wall-Paper” was written in first person point of view narration everything Jane saw and felt, we saw and felt as if we were right next to her seeing the woman inside the yellow wall paper. The retelling “The Husbands View on Life” was written in the first person narration of John, Jane’s husband. We saw how John viewed the wallpaper. We became aware of John’s feelings towards his wife. He loved her and wanted to save her. Only in first person narration we can get most of our questions answered.

In “The Yellow Wall-Paper” Jane comes across a woman trapped inside, “by daylight she is subdued”. Jane sees a world within the wallpaper, she knows it’s ugly but to her it’s full of life. During the day when the sun is exposed and everyone is awake the women in the wallpaper hides in between the patterns and at nightfall she creeps around learning the patterns. Jane is avoiding her family she sleeps during the day and uses all her energy analyzing the wallpaper at night. Jane becomes the wallpaper. On the last night it’s just Jane and the wall paper. She is aware that she is the only person that can set herself free, she destroyed the wallpaper and freed herself.

Then in “The Husband’s View of Life” John sees an ugly old tarnished wallpaper that has uneven patterns, “there’s no beauty in the room”. John thought he figured out why Jane has become so obsessed with the wallpaper. He wished he had listened to her and redecorated or relocated to another room. Maybe she would’ve been the Jane he once knew and not the Jane who sleeps during the day and alive at night. John was finally relieved, it was their last night in the estate, maybe Jane will get better at home, he needed her to get well for their son’s sake, but when he went to get her he saw something else  she was yellow. She was the yellow wallpaper. He saw her as the wallpaper he was afraid and had a heart attack, she was free and he became controlled.

The wallpaper for Jane symbolizes a life that only she can see and relate to. With first person point of view we secretly know that she wanted to keep what she found in the wallpaper to herself, “and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself”. Jane felt as if she is the only person that can rescue the woman and set her free. For John the wallpaper is just that a hideous wall décor, that he wished he had changed. John wasn’t home often because he wanted to give Jane her space, “at home I don’t want to be in Jane’s way”. He let us know that he loved his wife and wasn’t avoiding her, he only wanted her to progress at her own pace without any pressure with his presence. John couldn’t wait to get his wife as far away from that room as possible, when he went to get her it was too late. He saw she was the wallpaper.

In conclusion with first person narration we are given access to details that are given only to the readers. Jane saw herself in the wallpaper and knew only she can free herself. John saw a yellow wallpaper that controlled his wife and he couldn’t find a way to help her. Jane finally escaped the wallpaper and john became lost in it. John loved Jane and he tried to save her, but the only person that could’ve saved Jane was Jane.