In the late nineteenth century men and women lived in two totally different “spheres” of life. Queen Victoria said herself; “God created men and women different then let them remain each in their own position” (Web 4). For decades, women had lived a life of oppression and inequality. In Charlotte Gilman’s piece, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” she uses a female narrator to challenge the idea that “literature is not the business of a woman’s life” (Web 6).  Nearly 100 years after Gilman short story was published, Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey,” is written, and despite the time that has passed, both pieces encourage idea of individualism when put in conversation with each other. Throughout “The Journey” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” both authors use image of the house, a thrilling climax, and an independent protagonist in order to convey the importance of individualism to society.  

Gilman and Mary Oliver both use the image of a house to show bondage to tradition. In The Journey, the narrator is in the process of overcoming the expectations of society. The narrator is determined although “the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug” (Oliver 92). Here in the text, it illustrates how there are pressures to breaking away from society including the family within your own house and the “tug” of societal traditions. However, despite the discomfort Mary Oliver writes this to encourage oneself to discover themselves and be independent. Likewise, in The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator describes the house as having some sort of literal obstacle. Although the house in the piece was “the most beautiful place,” the narrator describes her secluded room as having “barred windows, a gate at the head of the stairs, and a heavy bedstead” (Gilman 302). Charlotte Gilman also exposes the challenges of breaking away from society through physical characteristics, but later on in her text she expresses the freedom of overcoming those challenges.

The authors of both pieces also both include a climax where the protagonist “breaks” through their expectations from society. The climax is vital in understanding American culture and how it is respected when one’s “individual life belongs to him” (Web 7). In The Journey, the narrator mentally overcame the bondage of society and said “as [I] left their voices behind, the stars began to burn” (Oliver 92). Throughout the poem the stars are used as an illustration for the individualized passions and desires of the narrator. This line in the poem is pro-individualism because it shows the narrator leaving others opinions behind and seeking the desires of himself. This concept is key to American individualism where the individual is “to pursue the values of his choosing” (Web 7). Likewise, in The Yellow Wallpaper, once the narrator finally tears off the expectations of womanhood (the wallpaper), she expresses her joy saying, “I’ve got out at last...You can’t put me back!” (Gilman 312). It is important to understand the various quotes from both pieces because they show the Americanized emotions of overcoming whatever physical obstacles one has to in order to live an individualized life as being climatic.

The Yellow Wallpaper and The Journey both illustrate the protagonist being at peace when they can express their feelings. After a dramatic climax in both pieces, once individualism is reached, the narrators have an immense amount of peace with their standing. In The Journey the ideas of oneself are described as a “new voice,” which “kept [the narrator] company” (Oliver 92). In The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator was alone in the room when she said, “I quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again” (Gilman 311). The narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper was at peace when she was alone to do what she chose, describing it as being “so pleasant” (Gilman 311). The concept that the individual is at peace when they can pursue their own ideals and dreams is straight from the foundation of American individualism where “each individual should pursue his life-serving values” (Web 7). This is important when considering both of these texts in conversation with each other because despite the two different plots, the overarching perspective of the text is individualistic. 

The Library journal supports this claim of the text reflecting individualism stating, “she affirms the value of aloneness, when talking about Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey” (Web 3). Throughout the poem, Oliver talks about the freedom of leaving others behind when she says, “little by little…the stars began to burn” as “[you] left their voices behind” (Oliver 92). When putting “The Yellow Wallpaper” in conversation with this text we vividly see how Gilman does the same thing when she writes the narrator “[getting] out at last,” as if she was in some sort of bondage (Gilman 312). In the New York Times book review, Susan Reynolds notes “this self-consciousness is a rich and graceful addition,” when she reviewed the turn of Oliver’s works to expose individualism as an important key. Most reviews of both texts describe the lesson as being a very valuable and important one. This is no different than the founding fathers of America ideals when creating the foundations of the nation itself. The Objective Standard says it best when describing “a land of liberty, a society in which the government does only one thing and does it well—protects the rights of all individuals equally” (Web 7). In comparison to other cultures, such as China, that are very collective in their reasoning, this idea of individualism is unique and important to the history of America and it reflected in the writings of Charlotte Gilman and Mary Oliver.

Fredrick Douglas, a key figure in American slave history, writes to illustrate the action of overcoming physical obstacles in order to live for oneself. He wrote this letter to his “ex”slave master and it is factual in the idea of American individualism:

I am myself; you are yourself; we are two distinct persons, equal persons. What you are, I am. You are a man, and so am I. God created both, and made us separate beings. I am not by nature bound to you, or you to me. Nature does not make your existence depend upon me, or mine to depend upon yours. I cannot walk upon your legs, or you upon mine. I cannot breathe for you, or you for me; I must breathe for myself, and you for yourself. We are distinct persons, and are each equally provided with faculties necessary to our individual existence. (Web7). 

This quote from Fredrick Douglas is reflective not only to the minds of many Americans throughout history, but, more importantly, it is reflective to the minds of the narrators in The Yellow Wallpaper, and The Journey.

The perspective of society to this individualistic movement is very important to our culture as a nation. Sources state “The roots of American feminism are individualistic,” and this relates back to many social movements in this nation (Web 5). When putting both of these texts in conversation with each other it is important to take note of the culture in which is written around. After being informed on the foundations of America itself, it is evident that Mary Oliver writes to the mind of the individual to overcome societal expectations; and likewise with Charlotte Gilman, she writes to encourage women to break down roles of domestic traditions and live a life that is free from oppression. Both texts are clearly American, and are key when considering the history of the nation of individualism, America.
