How the setting helps to convey the central theme of each of the work
The setting is undeniably a very influential aspect in the determination and evaluation of a theme in a literature piece. Notably, the author’s choice of the location, period, and the cultural environment in which the subject is situated greatly assist in the comprehension of the literary piece. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper and Susan Glaspell’s Trifles are both influential feminist works that extensively explore gender, especially the unequal treatment of women in the early 20th Century. The respective settings of The Yellow Wallpaper and Trifles significantly advanced the conveyance of the theme of gender through the framing of the mood of the text, the reflection of the society the characters lived in, and the invocation of emotional responses.
It is irrefutable that the mood of the literary works, established by the physical attributes in a setting, assists in the development of the theme of gender. The descriptions of the characters’ surroundings are particularly helpful. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator sets the unsettling mood of nervousness and uncertainty through her description of the mansion. She depicts it as haunted; ‘…quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village… with windows that look all way'(Gilman). In Trifles, the introductory description of the abandoned farmhouse kitchen as “gloomy kitchen, and left without having been put in order—unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, a dish-towel on the table—other signs of incompleted work,” denotes the frustration of women (Glaspell). The moods frustration and nervousness can be deduced as stemming from the inferior treatment of women by men. As such, they assist in the advancement of the theme of gender, as they both highlight the wrongful treatment of women.
The reflection of the society the characters belonged to, stemming from the setting, further advances the theme of gender. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator talks of their acquisition of secure ancestral halls in the summer, a haunted mansion, and hereditary estate. Additionally, she is seated by a window with bars, writing using a feather ink, and wearing a long dress (Gilman). Understandably, she is held hostage there, and writes in secret, without the knowledge of her physician husband and brother. In Trifles, the men enter into the kitchen gloomy kitchen with apparently unfinished work, followed by meekly by women. There is also a dead strangled canary, and a knotted quilt (Glaspell). The mode of dressing and the existence of the artifacts in both narrations indicate that the characters lived in the 19th century. The treatment of women then was different then from now, and there were specific gender roles. As such, the setting assists in the reflection of the society culture then, thus, appreciation of the theme better.
Invocation of the characters’ emotional responses to the setting also assists in the advancement of the theme. In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator had previously found the wallpaper “unclean, repellant and almost revolting,” and she hated its sight. Upon further interpretation, the perception of a trapped woman invokes wrath her wrath, and she tears it apart, thus descending deeper into the abyss of her madness (Gilman). This is symbolic of her fight and thirst for freedom from the cruelty and estrangement by her husband. In Trifles, the women interpret the strangled canary, the gloomy kitchen, and the knotted quilt as signs of emotional torture. They pity Minnie Wright and conceal the evidence from their husbands, thus obstructing justice and confronting their authority. The elicitation of such wrath and emotional piety from the physical attributes results in them acting out against the unequal treatment by their men. Consequently, the theme of gender in both works are further developed.
As per the preceding, it is sufficiently evident that the setting contributes to the development of the theme of gender through elicitation of character emotions, contemplation of the cultural backgrounds, and the establishment of the atmosphere. As such, the setting not only provides an environment for the narration of the story but also develops the thematic areas. Budding writers ought to employ setting concisely to improve the quality of their manuscripts.