Eric Arnesen
4/3/15
ERH-206WX
Maj. Knepper
The historian Louis Dupre is quoted as saying, “What is uniquely Romantic…is that the
person has become a question to himself.” In this sense, he creates a strong thesis towards the
writing styles of the Romantic period. Through examples written by Poe, Hawthorne, and
Gilman we can find this thesis is proven very effectively within their writing. Of the authors,
their stories create an air of questioning within the reader whereby they question their own
values and lifestyles.
The basic writing style of the romantic period can be described as a look into moral
virtues and individual emotions. This style was near non-existent before the romantic period
began and it increased in popularity very quickly. Even today, while reading the works of this
time the reader involves themselves with the characters in the writing and how they can relate the
characters to themselves.
Three authors of this time period were able to use this method of writing very effectively
while creating their own stories. Poe’s dark and mysterious writing led readers into the depths of
their mind that many would wish to visit little, if at all. Hawthorne explores the uncanny, or the
familiar made strange in his writing of Young Goodman Brown. This would have made an
impact on the reader because many of us have experienced the uncanny while in the night taking
out the trash or walking through your own house without lights on. Gilman explores the
psychological side of the mind with the writing of The Yellow Wallpaper. This could be
frightening to many as the thought of going crazy can be scary to even the sanest person.
In Poe’s writing of The Black Cat he dwells deep into the mind of a murderer. While
seemingly grotesque in first reading the story, the reader can easily recognize the mindset of the
murderer and relate them to themselves. The murderer shows grim thoughts that are usually kept
in suppression in our own minds, or at least never escape our own imagination. In analysis of the
murderers own mind, many readers are able to reflect upon their own thoughts or actions in
relation. In guessing themselves and what they think, Poe is able to convey Dupre’s thesis on the
Romantic Period very effectively. To this day, Poe’s Black Cat ensures readers are evaluating
their own thoughts.
Hawthrone wrote many stories during his life. The one that portrays Dupre’s thoughts the
most effectively is the writing of Young Goodman Brown. The story is about a young man who
does the complete opposite of normal, and follows a man into the wilderness late one night.
Upon traveling through the woods, he meets his catechist teacher Goody Cloyse who seems to be
acquainted with the man, who Goodman Brown sees as evil. 1 Arriving at the final location,
Goodman Brown observes a “witchlike” trial that all members of the town are taking part in.
Only he and his wife are not present, leading to them being the new converts. Goodman Brown
and his wife resist, with Goodman Brown telling her to believe in the Lord and to resist the town,
knowing the sins and evil of all the townspeople and cannot even stand to look at them.
Although the story does not seem as an instigator towards the reader’s own mind, the end
of the story is what truly creates an air of mystery. Goodman Brown cannot clearly remember if
the events actually took place or if they were a dream. Considering the rules of physics that are
broken in the events and the unlikely hood that it actually took place, one must make the
connection that this was indeed a dream. Considering that it is a dream brings up an important
question: Why would Goodman Brown dream of all of these things? The answer is simple.
Goodman Brown thought of this because, just like all of mankind, we are born with dark
thoughts that we usually suppress. Goodman Brown came into contact with these thoughts
1
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Young Goodman Brown.
during his dream and in doing so opened up a realm between dream and reality. This could not
leave his thoughts just as many of us after a nightmare cannot get it out of our own minds for a
while and led to his disbelief in humanity and the path that it was taking. Like Dupre said, the
reader begins to question themselves upon a reading such as this and their own morality and
where they stand in their own lives.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story that readers have enjoyed
for years. The story follows a lady who is in some state of disarray and her husband therefore
locks her in the children’s nursery which is covered with a disgusting yellow wallpaper. Being
trapped in this room, the lady slips even more into a “crazy” state, leading her to believe that
there is a woman trapped behind the wallpaper trying to get out. She begins to tear at the
wallpaper and chew on the bed. She doesn’t believe that it is her chewing however and notes
“How those children did tear about here! This bedstead is fairly gnawed!”2 Eventually she slips
into a complete state of incoherence and is last seen crawling against the wallpaper on the floor
and her husband fainted at the sight claiming “I’ve got out at last…”3
The thought of losing our mental ability has been a terrifying aspect to life to almost
everyone. Gilman brings this to light in the The Yellow Wallpaper in a way that is almost
frightening to read. Following what appears to be a diary kept by the woman only increases the
understanding of her thought process and how it deteriorated throughout her time in the room.
Gilman frightens the reader into having to re-read the story time and time again in order to pick
up things that were not observed before. Even after reading the story multiple times, the reader
can still find things they did not notice before that hint towards a larger aspect of the story.
2
3
Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The Yellow Wallpaper. American Gothic Tales. 101
IBID 102
Articulating Dupre’s claim, when reading this story the reader most likely doesn’t believe that
this could ever happen to them but is thoughtful at how easy the woman seemed to slip into a
state of irrational thought. This, along with the writing style that the story is written in, can be a
freaky read for any reader.
Through the works of Poe, Hawthorne, and Gilman we can see that Dupre’s claim of
“What is uniquely Romantic…is that the person has become a question to himself,” is proved
effectively. Although the goal of these writer was not to create questions to the reader’s
themselves, the stories they wrote ensure that the readers will observe their own thoughts and
actions for decades to come.
Works Cited
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. American Gothic Tales. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
(1996). 87-102.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Young Goodman Brown. American Gothic Tales. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
(1996). 52-64.