Introduction
The captivating stories in What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman go beyond their specific historical and cultural settings. They examine the numerous facets of identity and the challenging road to self-liberation. Gilman’s 1892 short story examines the psychological suffering of a woman bound by social norms, whereas Alexie’s 2003 novella portrays a Native American man’s wish to reclaim his tribal identity. Themes of individual struggle, social limits, and the quest for freedom are deftly woven throughout both works, representing the universal human experience of pursuing self-actualization in the face of external constraints. This essay will examine how both writers use their stories to expose social injustices, shed light on the path to self-realization, and showcase the resilience of the human spirit in the face of hardship.
Protagonist
Gilman’s Story
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, the protagonist’s slow mental decline is the story’s primary focus. Her husband, a doctor, has prescribed a stringent “rest cure” for her. The narrator’s growing fixation on the unusual wallpaper in her room is a manifestation of this treatment, which is symbolic of the oppressive nature of patriarchal society.
Gilman employs this wallpaper as a potent emblem of the narrator’s confinement to family and societal conventions rather than just as a simple object of fixation. Her claustrophobic feelings are powerfully captured in her description of her wallpaper: “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smoldering, unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight” (Gilman lines 78–79). Her strong dislike of the wallpaper illustrates how societal restrictions may stifle and warp one’s sense of reality and self, reflecting her imprisonment and hopelessness.
Alexie’s Story
In What You Pawn I Will Redeem, Sherman Alexie introduces the Spokane Indian. Jackson sets out to retrieve his grandmother’s pilfered regalia from a pawnshop. This regalia serves as a crucial historical link and represents his culture. According to Alexie, Jackson’s journey demonstrates the tenacity and complexity of Native American life in contemporary America.
The search for the regalia is a metaphor for a deeper conflict over identity and belonging. Alexie writes, “I walked into the pawnshop and greeted the old white man working behind the counter” (Alexie line 23). This event is essential because it marks the beginning of Jackson’s journey to rediscover his roots, underscoring his resolve to recover a part of his family’s past and, in doing so, a part of himself.
Metaphors
Gilman’s Story
In The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator’s growing fixation with the wallpaper is a potent metaphor for her captivity. As the narrative develops, she sees herself as a prisoner, a lady imprisoned behind the wallpaper’s elaborate designs. Gilman’s use of this imagery is powerful and unsettling, perfectly conveying the narrator’s emotional and mental struggle.
“Sometimes I think there are many women behind, and sometimes I think there is just one, and she crawls around quickly, and her crawling shakes everything,” the writer states (Gilman lines 647-648). The narrator’s developing connection with the confined woman is eloquently shown in this passage, which represents the narrator’s struggle against the limiting roles and expectations placed upon her. It becomes a moving critique of the larger social structures that restrict women, highlighting the ubiquitous, often unseen obstacles that obstruct their independence and ability to express themselves.
Alexie’s Story
Jackson, the main character in Sherman Alexie’s What You Pawn I Will Redeem, employs a powerful metaphor to explain the act of pawning and his subsequent attempts to reclaim his grandmother’s regalia. This metaphor represents his life and the state of Native Americans generally. The regalia represents the loss and possible recovery of cultural identity and legacy. It travels from a pawnshop window back to its rightful owner.
Alexie captures a poignant moment when Jackson first recognizes the regalia, saying to his companions, “That’s my grandmother’s regalia” (Alexie line 26). Jackson embarks on an extensive voyage of self-discovery and cultural reconnection due to this epiphany. His effort to retrieve the regalia is representative of a massive struggle among Native Americans for recognition and identity, as it echoes the larger story of their struggle to reclaim their lost history.
Culmination
Gilman’s Story
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman culminates when the narrator experiences a deep empathy with the woman she believes is imprisoned behind the wallpaper. This moment represents a crucial turning point in the story, as the narrator boldly decides to free herself and the imagined woman from the constraints of their repressive surroundings. She physically rips off the wallpaper in a powerful act of defiance, symbolizing her rejection of the social restrictions that have held her back.
Gilman captures this moment with intense emotion, writing, “I’ve got out at last, despite you and Jane. And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!” (Gilman line 759-760). This sentence, which represents the narrator’s desperate yet potent claim to her autonomy, exemplifies her final rebellion against the powers that have attempted to dominate her. Although her acts are seen through the prism of insanity, they nonetheless serve as a powerful declaration of her individuality and agency.
Alexie’s Story
In Sherman Alexie’s What You Pawn I Will Redeem, rather than a dramatic act of disobedience, Jackson’s quest culminates in a profound moment of self-realization. In contrast to the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper, Jackson’s journey to redemption is marked by introspection and self-acceptance. His journey to get his grandmother’s regalia is replete with poignant, humorous, and introspective moments that reflect the complexity of his Native American identity.
The story reaches its peak when the pawnbroker offers him the regalia for free, saying, “You did win it. Now take it before I change my mind” (Alexie line 205). This moment represents Jackson’s return to his roots and his spiritual triumph. His dancing at the junction while draping himself in the regalia symbolizes the merging of his cultural and personal identities. This scene, as portrayed by Alexie, represents a different kind of liberation that comes from comprehension, acceptance, and a strong bond with one’s heritage.
Conclusion
In summary, the studies of identity and the quest for emancipation in Sherman Alexie’s What You Pawn I Will Redeem and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper are outstanding. Both stories skillfully capture the protagonists’ struggles with social and personal constraints, despite their different settings. The depictions of a Native American’s struggle to regain his cultural heritage by Alexie and a woman’s struggle against repressive societal norms by Gilman speak to the universal themes of self-discovery and resistance to subjugation. These tales are timeless and powerful because they highlight the human spirit’s enduring potential to pursue freedom and declare identity in the face of difficulty.
Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. What You Pawn I Will Redeem. The New Yorker, 2003.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. The New England Magazine, 1892.