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Erin Royal
Anderson
June 24, 2010
Character transformations in The Road and The Yellow Wallpaper
In the world of fiction, anything can happen. Some stories draw you in with the first line,
and some take time to interest you. Some stories give you an explanation, and some make you
work for it. The Road and “The Yellow Wallpaper” are two very contrary stories; however, both
stories posses similar themes. Themes that directly relate to the transformation of characters,
such as relationships and the control the environment had over the characters were present in
both works of fiction.
In both The Road and “The Yellow Wallpaper”, relationships within the stories played a
critical role in the decisions and transformation of the main characters. Within the two stories,
there was both a character that undergoes a transformation and a character that remains relatively
neutral throughout. In Cormac McCarthy’s, The Road, McCarthy develops a relationship
between a boy and his father that is crucial in order for the two to survive mentally and
physically. When the story begins, the boy is younger and more dependent on his father to
shelter him from danger and negative thoughts. “Can I ask you something? Yes. Of course. Are
we going to die? Sometime. Not now. And we’re still going south? Yes. So we’ll be warm. Yes.
Okay” (McCarthy 10). This assuring dialogue continues throughout most of the book, but as the
boy transforms and matures, it becomes less and less until finally the boy understands that he has
to be the one assuring his father instead. “You’re not the one that has to worry about everything
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anyway…Yes I am, I am the one” (McCarthy 259). Once this transformation is complete, the
boy understands that he has to live without the man at some point, and when that time comes he
will be perfectly able; however, the man knows all along that he cannot live without the boy.
“The boy was all that stood between him and death” (McCarthy 29).
This transformation is similar to the transformation the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper”
experiences, in that they both become independent of their opposing static character, rendering
their relationship with the other character not less meaningful, but certainly less vital. Although
that much is similar in both The Road, and “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the woman’s
transformation was not one of growth and maturation, but on the contrary it was one of psychosis
and dementia; a regression rather than progression. Her husband had been very caring throughout
the entire story much like the father character in The Road. “And dear John gathered me up in
his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed…He said I was his darling and his
comfort and all he had” (Gilman 22). John was under the impression that she was very sick and
needed to be well taken care of; he was very adamant about her daily structure. “I have a
schedule prescription for each hour of the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely
ungrateful not to value it more” (Gilman 17). This schedule was forced on her the entirety of the
story, and ultimately led to her rapid mental decline. The woman and John’s relationship was
altered at the end because she was acting out of character, and did not need him for guidance
anymore because she discovered her own world where she did not welcome anyone else. “But I
am here, and no person touches this paper but me, - not alive!” (Gilman 27). The transformation
of the boy in The Road and the woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” greatly influence the
relationships with the other characters. As well as the relationships in the two stories influencing
the transformation, the setting or environment of the stories also played a key role.
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In The Road and “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the setting controlled every detail of both
stories, particularly the characters. This control had a prodigious hold on the actions of the
characters, and the decisions that they made, ultimately leading to their substantial
transformations. The Road was literally centered on the environment, and the boy and his
father’s lives depended on how well they could survive in the setting. “They pulled the morels
from the ground, small alien looking things that he piled in the hood of the boy’s parka”
(McCarthy 40). The father and son were forced to utilize anything possible to nourish their
bodies in this setting because of how harsh the environment was. McCarthy describes many
instances of “luck” in the story, and most of these mentioning’s of luck were the only things
keeping the boy and his father alive because they couldn’t control their surroundings. “How did
you know it was there? Well I was hoping it was there, it was mostly luck” (McCarthy 241).
Times where the boy and his father got “lucky” were beacons of hope in the bleak environment,
and it kept them moving forward with not a positive outlook necessarily, but indubitably a more
hopeful one. This hope was an influence in the maturation and ultimate independence of the boy
because he had to start “carrying the fire” or becoming the responsible one. “He took the cup and
moved away and when he moved the light moved with him” (McCarthy 277). That moment was
the moment where the boy knew he had to take control, despite the conditions.
In contrast to the ever present bleak environment controlling the characters in The Road, “The
Yellow Wallpaper” was not an austere and dying setting; however it took control over the
characters and changed the actions and decisions of the woman and therefore seizing significant
control over the plot. The woman in “The Yellow Wallpaper” had been controlled by her
husband initially, because of her mysterious sickness, but as soon as she arrived in the
environment, changes were already in effect. “There is something strange about the house – I can
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feel it” (Gilman 17). The room that she was confined to by her husband immediately caught her
interest and fascination, therefore controlling every thought and action that she may have had
until the very end of the story. “I’m getting really fond of the room in spite of the wall-paper.
Perhaps because of the wall-paper. It dwells in my mind so!” (Gilman 21). After taking control
of her thoughts, the environment took control of her actions, and eventually she was obsessed
with the wall-paper and it ultimately altered her character completely. “ ‘I’ve got out at last,’ said
I, ‘in spite of you and Jane. And I’ve pulled off most of the wallpaper, so you can’t put me
back!’” (Gilman 28). Characters from The Road and “The Yellow Wallpaper” had gone through
severe alterations because of the control their environments had on them during the course of
both stories.
As different as these works are, they can still contain similar themes and ideas that are
fascinating to compare. The Road and “The Yellow Wallpaper” are comprised individually of a
plethora of different themes, but the stories also share common themes that incorporate the
transformation of the primary characters. These themes are evident in the stories and draw
attention to important focal points that the audience can connect with.
Works Cited
Gilman, Charlotte P. "The Yellow Wallpaper." The Hudson Book of Fiction: 30 Stories worth
Reading. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 16-28. Print.
McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Vintage, 2006. Print.
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