A Comparative Analysis of Female Characters in Literature and Television

While the Story of an Hour and the Yellow Wallpaper are two distinctly different stories written by two separate authors, they share many of the same themes and elements. Both works depict a woman facing oppression through marriage and society, longing for freedom and autonomy. This theme is still very relevant and is at the center of Sansa Starks character arc in Game of Thrones. All three women face an oppressive society and desire freedom and independence.
In all three stories’ marriage is depicted as unromantic and inherently oppressive towards women.

In the Story of an Hour, Brently Mallard is not depicted as oppressive or abusive. However, her inner dialogue reveals that she didn’t feel free in her marriage and that she didn’t love her husband all that much: “And yet she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not.” (570). In The Yellow Wallpaper, Jane’s husband, John, is domineering and has complete control of her. He makes all of her decisions for her, big or small, which causes Jane not to have control of her own life. Jane doesn’t like this, but she is unable to express her feelings. “He is very careful and loving and hardly lets me stir without special direction. I have a scheduled prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more.” (Gilman 572). In Game of Thrones, Sansa Stark is married twice to considerably older men. Both marriages were unromantic and oppressive, with Sansa being subjected to physical abuse and, at one point, being confined to a room in a tower by her husband. All three stories feature women that are stifled and oppressed by their husbands in some way.
Louise, Jane, and Sansa all long for freedom and independence but are unable to obtain it because of their husbands. In the Story of an Hour, after Brently Mallard dies, Louise begins to fantasize about her future days of independence, and she develops a love for life that hadn’t been there before. Her inner monologue reveals that she used to “shudder” (570) to think that her life would be long. It is only after Louise feels free that she begins to be excited about life; she starts to fantasize about living for herself. Jane is very anxious to express herself but is unable to because of the strict rules her husband has implemented. She is unable to write, but she wishes to “relieve the press of ideas” (576) within her. Her need for expression is so powerful that she begins writing in a secret diary, which is a relief to her. By the end of the story, her mental illness is exacerbated by her solitude, and being unable to properly express herself, she is driven to insanity. Sansa Stark is at one point confined in a locked room, unable to read, write, or talk to anybody except her husband. She is eventually able to escape with the help of a servant, but she risks her life to do so. Louise, Jane, and Sansa all desire independence and individuality but are subjected to positions of inferiority.
Similarly, all three women are viewed as weak or fragile by the people around them. In the Story of an Hour, Louise Mallard’s sister is careful to break the news to her about her husband’s death because “Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble.” (596). Her sister is very concerned about how Louise will react to the news and doesn’t even want to leave her alone. When Louise is able to get away for some alone time, her sister begins banging on the door, saying, “I beg; open the door—you will make yourself ill.” (570). In The Yellow Wallpaper, Jane’s husband tells her friends that Jane is suffering from “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” (571). Due to her condition, he sees her as unable to care for herself properly, and he begins to take control of all of her decisions. Sansa Stark is viewed as a naïve girl by those around her and is not taken seriously by anyone. Just like Jane, her thoughts and feelings are disregarded by everybody around her. All three women are viewed as weak an

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