Blog 2, Option 2

With my initial beliefs about general psychology in mind, I developed an opinion that John was somewhat unreliable after the very first time I read “The Yellow Wallpaper.” This is simply because some of the treatments he subjected the narrator to would nowadays be considered downright archaic. Plus, women do tend to have a better intuition than men, regarding awareness to their own feelings (although not necessarily better logic in how to handle them), so it would make sense that a “physician of high standing” would misunderstand the narrator's suffering. Several more quotes of her own indicate ideas that would nowadays be considered excellent treatment for most cases of depression, such as “congenial work, with excitement and change,” and her desire for company. Many of the things the narrator says about the wallpaper made sense to me given the circumstances. The narrator probably has a good sense of artistic normality, thus explaining her quest to find reason in the stimulating, but disturbing pattern of the wallpaper.

To be honest, it was only after I read the prompt to this assignment that I paid close attention to the reliability of the narrator. With the idea in mind that depression of any kind can contribute to questionable behavior, things immediately started to grab my attention the second time I read the story. The second sentence, and its mention of a haunted house as the ideal romantic getaway can already be considered evidence of a troubled mind.

But possible causes of depression cannot be ignored in the investigation of the symptoms. Perhaps most of the narrator's unreliable information is fueled by John's ignorance. “He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him,” indicates to me a reason to generally mistrust John. Unreasonable feelings are seldom the product of reasonable thoughts. It also provides supporting evidence for the narrator's reliability. Assuming John really does care about her, it would make sense for her to ignore her own logic, and do what he advises. His shaky methods could have worked to inadvertently fuel the narrator's obsession. John's treatment of her, as previewed by his reaction to her first impressions of the house, reflects the way women were usually treated by men, especially educated ones. So it would only make sense that she trust and obey her husband. Even though it's the narrator who ends up creeping around on the floor like a nervous phantom, I cannot help but to see most of the fault in John's behavior.

I have no reason to mistrust her until her behavior turns toward the insane. Still describing what she is doing from the first person, she adds in her creeping escapade as though it was simply a continuation of her struggles and accompanying coping strategies. The only reason I would see to mistrust her would be if she was misinterpreting what John was saying from the very beginning, and therefore writing his words incorrectly, and John really wasn't the fool I have suspected him to be.

I did think that maybe the author might be expressing her feelings about her own mental difficulties, because she tells the story from the point of view of the person considered to be mentally troubled. I do not see anything wrong with wanting to write. I do, however, see sense in suspecting that maybe the narrator's ridiculous behavior is a somewhat-intentional cry for help, to communicate to others that her condition is still worsening. Her language during this episode indicates rebellion against John and Jane, who have been suppressing her from writing and doing other things that she enjoys.

Blog 1, Option 1

Blog 1, option one

In order for us to get to know a character, and gain an ability to predict and understand his or her actions, we must learn about them. To this effect, the author uses a variety of methods for describing characters.

The first few sentences of “Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker, contain a lot of direct, as well as suggested information about all three main characters. The reader can immediately start to imagine what the situation is that Maggie and the narrator are faced with. The placement of the word “so” in the first paragraph carries a bit of resentment for Dee, even though we haven't officially “met” her yet. Mrs. Johnson seems to emphasize a sense of pompousness in Dee that burdens her and Maggie both physically and spiritually. This is partially description of circumstances, where the description of what's going on with two characters and the situation at hand describes another character. Also, we could assume that the narrator mirrors the author in judgment. The first adjective describing Maggie is “nervous.” This suggests vulnerability, which is reinforced later in the story with more specific submissive actions Maggie takes. But along with outward vulnerability can be predicted an inward strength of will, which is confirmed towards the end of the story when she relinquishes the quilts that Mrs. Johnson says she deserves more than Dee. This also indicates Mrs Johnson's sensitivity for Maggie's lack of confidence and corresponding goodness of heart.

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is full of examples where the words of others describe the main character. This keeps the reader just as distant from Emily as are the townspeople, who seldom see her. Thus, we know that Emily is a reclusive being. This sense of detachment is reinforced by some of the history that the author provides, affirming that curiosity comes with ignorance. Faulkner also provides characterization through careful choice of vocabulary. When Miss Emily “vanquished” the people who came to collect her taxes, it signifies her rare braveness to use such strong words in blatant absence the usual fear of rejection.

“The Things They Carried,” by Tim O'Brien, is centered around the characters and their individual characteristics, and gives us a lot of insight into the minds of soldiers. “... including M&Ms for especially bad wounds” signifies Rat Kiley's awareness that he cannot fix everything. This also provides insight into soldiers' morale and some of the humor they use. The author also provides us with some characteristics of spirituality and superstition, when he describes some of the items that did not have much, if any, physical weight. Jimmy Cross's picture of Martha showed his affection for her. “They all carried ghosts” is placed, almost humorously, to emphasize the simplicity of the fact. When people say they “couldn't imagine” what warfighters must go through, the simple fact is, that, neither can the warfighters. It must be rare for a soldier to provide a detailed, poetic analyzation of his inner feelings about what has happened to him, so the simplicity of some of O'Brien's details tells us that the ghosts they carry cannot be explained. There are no words to describe them, so they have no choice but to hold it in, thus explaining some of the psychological havoc that war can wreak on a human mind.