Hyperbolic Imagination: The Yellow Wallpaper

1754 Words4 Pages

Ho-Ling Helen Chan
Dr. Natalie Neill
EN1201 A
26 June 2015

Constructive and Destructive Use of a Hyperbolic Imagination: A Comparison of The Yellow Wallpaper And The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Inherently, imagination is neither constructive or destructive; rather it is the individual’s use of their hyperbolic, an exaggerated or overstated effect (Neill), imagination that determines the effect of their imagination. Jane (“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte P. Gilman in 1892) and Walter (“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber in 1939) shows how their hyperbolic imagination can have a constructive (where imagination allows an escape from everyday responsibilities and worries) or a destructive (where imagination causes the character …show more content…

When Jane initially describes the wallpaper, she uses more periods as she is not using her hyperbolic imagination; merely, she is stating a fact. Through her entries, Jane notes that the wallpaper, “... is dull enough to confuse the eye [...] and [...] destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions.” (Gilman). In addition, when Jane attempts to describe the colour of the wallpaper, she sticks to the facts. Jane states that the colour of the wallpaper“ ...is [...] strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight. It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others” (Gilman). As Jane is fully imprisoned due to her hyperbolic imagination, she begins to use exclamation marks more frequently to describe the wallpaper. At her worst, Jane claims the wallpaper’s “...front pattern DOES move—and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it! [...] They get through,[...] and makes their eyes white !” (Gilman). Through social isolation, Gilman transforms Jane’s imaginative freedom into a literal prison. Because of her husband, Jane is socially isolated. Jane desires to visit her cousins; she pleads with her husband to invite “...Cousin Henry and Julia down for a long visit“ (Gilman). As Jane’s hyperbolic imagination figuratively constricts her freedom, she does not mind being isolated; Jane fails to mentions her desire to visit her cousins again …show more content…

Gilman uses alliteration (Neill defines alliteration as the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words), and personification, attribution of human characteristics to non-human entities (Neill), to describe the wallpaper. Jane uses alliteration to describe the wallpaper. Jane states the, “ paint and paper look as if a boys' school had used it [...] the paper in great patches all around the head of my bed.. .” (Gilman, emphasis mine). Gilman uses the letter “p” to emphasize Jane’s imaginative attention to the quality of the wallpaper’s paint and the amount of wallpaper present. In addition, Jane dislikes the colour; she claims the wallpaper is, “a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by [...] slow-turning sunlight [...] in some places, a sickly sulphur tint in others. ” (Gilman, emphasis mine). Gilman uses the letter “s” to emphasize the state of the wallpaper. Finally, Jane personifies the wallpaper. As Jane analyzes the wallpaper, she notes that the wallpaper, “... sticketh closer than a brother—they must have had perseverance as well as hatred” (Gilman). Only humans can feel perseverance, hatred and have siblings; wallpapers do not feel or have blood-ties. In addition, Jane imagines that the “pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you […] and waddling fungus growths just shriek with

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