Human Ignorance in Gilman and Márquez: Two Short Stories

Introduction: Literature as a Mirror of Human Ignorance

More than just mirroring the realities of life, literature also functions as a lens through which imaginary musings are reflected, highlighting humanity's exploration of the unknown and the unexplainable. These reflections of the unexplored facets of human life provide knowledge to readers who bear witness to the different experiences of individuals, whose projections of imagination offer insight into the kind of society the writer — and perhaps the reader — inhabits.

In analyzing The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel García Márquez, readers are confronted with two unexplored possibilities in life, as interpreted by the authors and personified by their stories' protagonists. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," Gilman explores the mind of a woman whose society initially assumes she is experiencing a nervous breakdown, when in fact she is gradually undergoing both a dawning sense of empowerment and a descent into insanity — her form of escape from the repressive, male-dominated society in which she lives.

"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," meanwhile, examines society's response to a religious symbol and figure — the angel — when one falls to earth unexpectedly. In this story, the theme of uncivilized behavior rooted in human ignorance again surfaces: the community in which Elisenda and Pelayo live demonstrates unexpected cruelty toward the old man-angel simply because he does not fit the "benevolent" and "gallant" image they associate with angels.

Given the presence of this theme in both texts, this paper argues that human society, when faced with situations it has not yet explored or does not understand, tends to commit uncivilized acts as its way of coping with the unfamiliar. In doing so, society remains ignorant and unaccepting of the new reality that has presented itself.

Oppression and Misreading in 'The Yellow Wallpaper'

In arguing this thesis through "The Yellow Wallpaper," Gilman gives the female protagonist a first-person voice, allowing readers to judge for themselves whether her husband's diagnosis of a nervous breakdown — or perhaps escalating insanity — is warranted. In portraying the protagonist, Gilman presents two facets of her personality: one in which she remains in touch with reality, and another in which she becomes increasingly preoccupied and fixated with the room's yellow wallpaper.

The first portrayal shows a woman struggling to free herself from social repression, represented by the men in her life — her husband and her brother, both of whom are doctors. The second portrayal illustrates her eventual succumbing to insanity, understood as her only means of escape from the "imprisonment" she feels, having been labeled a nervous wreck by the men around her and denied freedom or choice by her society.

The Wallpaper as Symbol of Repression and Empowerment

As a woman striving to define herself against her society's oppressive norms, the female protagonist raises many issues that symbolically represent her oppression. Among these is the fact that she cannot work because of her supposed condition: "…am absolutely forbidden to 'work' until I am well again…Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good." These thoughts reflect the protagonist's disagreement with her husband's prescription of rest. As a housewife confined mostly to the home, she yearns to develop herself and to function as a capable individual not only in the domestic sphere but in society at large. Work thus becomes a symbolic manifestation of her desire for freedom — freedom from the oppressive label of housewife, and freedom from being told what she may or may not do.

Human ignorance is highlighted when, as the woman becomes absorbed in analyzing and tracing the patterns of the yellow wallpaper, her husband concludes that her nervous breakdown has escalated into full insanity. As she begins to read the pattern as a reflection of her own life, her family — particularly her husband John — interprets her behavior as madness: "At night…and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars!…I didn't realize for a long time what the thing was that showed behind, that dim sub-pattern, but now I am quite sure it is a woman."

Conclusion: Ignorance and the Rejection of the Unknown

Both stories illustrate how human society, when faced with situations it has not yet explored or does not understand, tends to commit uncivilized acts as a way of coping with the unfamiliar. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," ignorance allows patriarchal authority to pathologize a woman's inner life, imprisoning her rather than understanding her. In "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," ignorance causes an entire community to miss the miraculous in their midst, preferring spectacle to quiet wonder. In both cases, the failure to engage honestly with the unknown leaves society not only cruel but permanently diminished — unable to grow beyond the boundaries of what it already believes it knows.

Works Cited

Gilman, C. P. "The Yellow Wallpaper." 1899.

Márquez, G. G. "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings."