Blackiston 1

Gillian Blackiston
American Literature 2
Dr. Entzminger
December 8, 2013
Gilman and Miller
Some people may be seen as insane. There is no denying that. In the world today, we
often hear of people doing things because they are insane. The way people in society react to the
insane people vary depending on the social classes in the society. In Charlotte Perkins Gilmans
short story The Yellow Wallpaper and Arthur Millers play Death of A Salesman the narrators
are both mentally insane. Since the narrators are seen as insane, the way the other characters in
the story and play act around them is different. Gilman and Miller use the insanity of the
narrator to highlight the differences in the social classes during the time of the short story and
play to todays society.
First, in Charlotte Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper the narrator is suffering from
nervous depression. She has been locked up in a house with only a few outside people to see her.
The outside people are really her husband/doctor and sister in law. The narrator talks the whole
time throughout the short story about how she is never allowed to visit with other people besides
her husband and sister-in-law whether inside the house or travelling elsewhere. The reason that
the narrator is given for not being allowed visitors is that she is not well enough yet. However,
her husband gives her this reason: When I get really well, John says we will ask Cousin Henry
and Julia down for a long visit; but he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillowcase as
to let me have those stimulating people about now (Charlotte Perkins Gilman 510-1).
Apparently John thinks that the visit from the relatives will do more harm to the narrator than

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good. He is afraid to how the cousins will treat his wife in her insane state of mind. Here the
reader can see how the social classes of the society during the time of the story are different than
those of today. During this time, the society was scared away from the insane, and did not want
to be around them. It is not clear on whether or not other people outside of John and the sister
know about the narrator. However, the reader can conclude that by Johns resistance to the visit
that the cousins are from an upper class in the society. That is why the husband is keeping the
narrator from visiting her relatives. In an article comparing The Yellow Wallpaper to a
Foucauldian Panopticism, it says, Mitchell believed, Catherine Golden tells us, that both
companionship and work proved a detriment to his patients recovery, further taxing her nerves
already frazzled from an admixture of hysteria and postpartum depression (Bak 1). This shows
that in the society at the time, it was looked down upon to have people visit with the mentally
insane. In todays society, people who are seen as insane are still viewed as a lower social class,
but many people from other social classes will still visit with them, and try to help them get
better. This is usually seen within some families. Some families are split up over many social
classes, but they all want to look out for the others that may not have as much as them.
Another way that the insane narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper highlights the
differences in the social classes is how she feels about the sister-in-law. From the context of the
story, the sister-in-law could be of a slightly lower class than the narrator. The narrator mentions
that the sister is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession. I
verily believe that she thinks that it is the writing which made me sick (Charlotte Perkins
Gilman 511). Here the reader can see that the sister has no ambition to find a better job. If she
were of an upper class in society, she would probably be working at a better job, or would be
fortunate enough not to have to worry about working. In the short story the narrator says, There

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comes Johns sister. Such a dear girl as she is, and so careful of me! I must not let her find me
writing (Charlotte Perkins Gilman 511). Here the narrator is worried about what the sister-inlaw will think about her. The narrator is concerned with how other people in other social classes
will view some of her activities as she tries to get better from her insanity. She thinks that the
sister will look down upon her if she is caught in the middle of writing in her journal. Another
reason the narrator is concerned about being caught writing is that she was prescribed not to do
any form of writing.
One more way that the insane narrator in the short story that shows the difference in
social classes is that she notices how the other people look around her. For example, in the story,
she says, The fact is I am getting a little afraid of John. He seems very queer sometimes, and
even Jennie has an inexplicable look (Charlotte Perkins Gilman 515). The narrator is noticing
that the other people that normally interact with her are starting to look different when they are in
the same room as her. She just assumes that it is because of the wallpaper, but that does not stop
her from noticing the change. This can be different than in todays society because many people
who work with the insane despite the social classes, know how to keep their appearances in
check and not show a lot of change.
In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller the narrator, Willy Loman, is mentally going
insane. Given he is growing older, his insanity can be written off as having a disease like
Alzheimers. Willy Loman is a different type of insane narrator than the narrator in The Yellow
Wallpaper because he seems to reject the idea that he is insane. The narrator in The Yellow
Wallpaper seems to just accept the fact that she is insane and tries to make the best of it. Willy
contrasts with this idea because he keeps trying to find a reason to why he is acting that way.

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In the beginning of the play Willy is talking to his wife Linda about his day at work. He
talks about how he almost crashed the car. He makes the comment No, its me, its me.
Suddenly I realize Im goin sixty miles an hour and I dont remember the last five minutes.
Im-- I cant seem to-- keep my mind to it (Arthur Miller 1287). From this comment, the
reader can conclude that Willy is definitely insane and should not be allowed to drive. When
Linda shows her concern and asks him about finding a better job, Willy rebukes her and tells her
that he is fine and can continue driving to get the work done. Even though Willy is insane, he
still wants to act like his life is alright and that there is nothing to worry about. However, this
leads to Willy committing suicide at the end of the play because he is trying to convince himself
that his life will go back to normal and that his relationship with Biff will get better. In the play
Willy says, Oh Ben, I always knew one way or another we were gonna make it, Biff and I!
(Arthur Miller 1348). From this line in the play the reader can see that Willy is insane in
thinking that the relationship with Biff will ever get better when Willy is like this. According to a
study conducted, Therefore, whilst this paper focuses upon the 'real effects' of social and
economic injustice within the' classed subjectivities' and practices of working-class people, it
aims to avoid 'victim blaming'; it seeks to do so by recognising the damaging consequences of
the primacy given to middle-class and upper class death ways, and of higher-class prejudices
against people nearer to the bottom of the social hierarchy (Conway 1). This paper goes on to
say how the upper classes in society can cause the lower classes to die earlier.
Also, throughout the play, the reader can see how Willy and his family are of a lower
social class than the rest of the society. For example, near the beginning of the play Willy
remarks that Oh, Ill knock em dead next week. Ill go to Hartford. Im very well liked in
Hartford. You know, the trouble is, Linda, people dont seem to talk to me . . . I know it when I

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walk in. They seem to laugh at me . . . I dont know the reason for it. but they just pass me by.
Im not noticed (Arthur Miller 1299). Here the reader can clearly see that the other people in
the society do not really bother their time with paying attention to Willy. The reader can gather
that Willy is from a lower social class than the rest of his workers. At one time, he may have
been in the social class as them, but he eventually deteriorated away into the next lower class.
This also affects his family too because they depend on Willy to be in good standing in order to
bring home the money. His family tries to reassure him that he is not falling down through the
rest of the social classes and that they still love him no matter what. One difference between the
two insane narrators is that one of them has a family that cares about them, while the other one
has barely any family to still look after them.
In conclusion, Gilman and Miller both use insane narrators in their story and play to show
the differences in the social classes between the times of the setting and todays society. In all
societies, the views of the insane can vary from each one.

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Works Cited
"Arthur Miller." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 7th ed. Vol. 2.
New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. 1284-350. Print.
Bak, John S. "Escaping The Jaundiced Eye: Foucauldian Panopticism In Charlotte Perkins
Gilman's `The Yellow.." Studies In Short Fiction 31.1 (1994): 39. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
"Charlotte Perkins Gilman." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 7th
ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. 508-19. Print.
Conway, Steve. "Death, Working-Class Culture And Social Distinction." Health Sociology
Review 21.4 (2012): 441-449. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.