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Film Studies Coursework 2- Short Film Script- Imogen Mair

STOP

Imogen Mair

1. EXT. ROADSIDE. NIGHT.

A car is on fire, surroundings of trees are lit up by the fire. Three fades to black and then back to the car at 10 second intervals.

2. EXT. BUS. day

A teenage girl named Amber is sat on a bus listening to music staring out of the window, she presses the stop button and walks down the stairs and gets off the bus. AMBER crosses the road into a building named ‘HYPNOTHERAPY CLINIC’ the doors swing open and slam shut.

3. Int. hypnotherapy clinic. day

Amber walks into an open reception with a waiting room adjoined, the reception is bare apart from a computer desk and a few posters on the benefits of hypnotherapy. She walks to the desk and greets the receptionist.

AMBER

Hi, I have an appointment with DR.MILLER.

Receptionist

She types on a computer.

Just wait in the waiting room and she’ll be right with you.

AMBER

Ok.

She enters the waiting room, which is covered in the same posters as the reception. There are two sofas with a small coffee table covered in magazine. A tall narrow fish tank stands in the corner, her eyes follow the fish around the tank. Footsteps are heard which makes the fish swim away. Amber looks up and sees DR.MILLER walk into the doorway.

DR.Miller

Hello again we’re in our usual room if you’d like to follow me through.

4. INT. Therapy room. day

The door swings open DR.MILLER goes over to the window and shuts it. The room is an exact square the walls are covered in dark oak bookcases. In the middle of the room is a flat bed and two chairs, on either side stand two tall lamps with red light emanating from them.

DR.Miller

Walks over to the middle of the room and sits on the chair to the left. GIRL takes a seat. DR.MILLER picks up a pen and notebook and starts taking notes.

Please, take a seat. So AMBER how have things been since our last appointment? , have any other memories come back at all.

AMBER

Nope, only ones from previous sessions.

DR.Miller

Are you integrating better with your friends?

Off-screen sound of pen scratching is heard

AMBER

We’re still getting along the same if that’s what you mean.

DR.Miller

Well yes, shall we just get started.

AMBER

(sighing)

Yeah, sure I guess.

DR.Miller

Ok, so like before just lie down on the bed whilst I change the lights.

She presses a button on each lamp and the light changes from red to blue.

5. INT. house party. night

Amber is stood in a doorway in between a kitchen and an open space talking to two other girls, swarms of teenagers pass through the doorway, thumping music and numerous incomprehensible conversations are heard. A kitchen table is at one side of the door covered with empty pizza boxes and spilt drinks, empty bottles of alcohol litter the table and surrounding area.

AMBER

(shouting)

JESS, have you got any cups there aren’t any in the kitchen.

JESS

(shouting)

I think so. I’ll have a look.

AMBER

(shouting)

Alright, I’ll be in the garden with SASKIA

6. INT. hallway. night

Amber walks through the doorway and out of the French doors in another room. The garden is lit up with fairy lights, two garden tables are outside surrounded with chairs packed with people. Amber walks over to Saskia who is in conversation with a few other people, Saskia passes Amber a drink.

7. INT. Therapy room. dAY

AMBER blinks and sits up, the room is lit with red lights again. DR.MILLER offers a hand to AMBER and helps her to a chair.

DR.Miller

So, AMBER how was that?

AMBER

(pausing)

Ummmmm, confusing.

DR.MILLER

Did you see anything relating to the accident?

AMBER

Nope, it was just bits of a party.

Dr.miller

Do you know whose it was? Could it be from before the accident?

AMBER

I don’t know I didn’t recognise the house, maybe.

Dr.miller

Ok, we’ll leave it there for today. We’re making progress, parts of your memory are coming back so it’s working. Let me know if anything else comes back. Bye.

Amber stands up and opens the heavy door into a brightly lit corridor. DR.MILLER walks over to the window and opens it again.

AMBER

Bye.

She walks out into the corridor, the door slams shut behind her as she re-traces her steps from earlier. She walks past the waiting room, now filled with people and down the steps to the reception desk.

RECEPTIONIST

Hello again, when shall we schedule your next consultation? 3 weeks’ time?

AMBER

Yeah sure, I’ll ring up if I need to reschedule.

The receptionist hands her a small white card in black print is written ‘HYPNOTHERAPY CLINIC and the date 24th February’. Amber presses a little green button on the left of the doors, they swing open and she steps out into the blinding sunlight.

8. INT. bedroom. dAY

The bedroom is lit through blue curtains, a bed is in the corner of the large room, Amber is asleep in bed. A clock alarm goes off. A digital clock on the floor shows 10:30, the clock is surrounded by clothes and makeup. The walls are white and bare, there’s a desk in the opposite corner to the bed that is also bare, and opposite the desk is a big black wardrobe. AMBER wakes up and chucks a blue duvet to the other side of the bed and checks her phone, which is plugged in next to her. The phone shows the date 6th March, indicating time has passed since the last scene. Amber steps out of bed wearing a knee length t-shirt and walks to the wardrobe the door swings open and obstructs the view of Amber, she pulls out some clothes and walks out of the room.

9. INT. kitchen. dAY

Off-screen sound of cereal pouring into a bowl is heard. Amber is in the kitchen making breakfast. The kitchen is white with black cabinets, a sink is in front of a large window, and on the other side of the kitchen is a matching black fridge. Amber walks with a bowl to the fridge she places the bowl on the countertop and takes some milk out of the fridge, she then takes a spoon out of a drawer and walks to sit at the table. Amber’s Mother is also sat at the table.

MOTHER

Morning AMB, how was your last appointment with DR.MILLER?

Amber crosses her legs on the chair.

AMBER

It went well, she said we were making progress, so I guess that’s something.

MOTHER

Well that is something, does she want me to come in at all?

AMBER

(Immediately jumping in)

Yeah, I don’t know but do you remember me going to a party a few months ago, or like any time before I crashed the car?

MOTHER

Not really, I was away at that point in London working. Why?

Amber eats her cereal.

AMBER

I was just wondering cause I had a memory about being at one, that’s all.

MOTHER

Oh well ok.

AMBER

JESS is coming round later I don’t know if you’ll be in but we’re going out to a party.

MOTHER

Are you sure you’re ready? I do worry about you.

AMBER

It’s been months and I’m fine it’s only a bit of memory loss.

mother

Well if you’re sure.

Amber walks over to the sink and washes her bowl and walks out of the room.

10. INT. bedroom. NIGHT

Amber and Jess are sat on the floor of Amber’s bedroom, they are cramped in the middle in front of a mirror balanced up against the edge of the bed. Makeup is scattered across the floor and music is playing as background noise.

AMBER

Can you pass me that brush?

Jess reaches over to her right and hands her a brush.

AMBER

Cheers, how much time have we got anyway?

JESS

Well it starts at 8 so we’ll aim to get there at like 9

AMBER

Amber walks over to the wardrobe and pulls out two black outfits, she holds them up either side placing them in front of her.

Which one?

JESS

Pointing to the one on the right.

That one.

11. EXT. STREET. NIGHT

Jess and Amber are stood under a street lamp on a street looking at the number of houses as they walk down the road.

JESS

It’s this one.

Jess and Amber walk up some steps and open a door. Loud music blares out into the street until the door is closed. They walk into a small narrow corridor with 2 doors going off it and some stairs on the right, they leave their bags on the floor and walk through the first door on the left which opens into a large living room filled with people crammed on a few sofas.

SASKIA

(Shouting across the room.)

Saskia and another girl jump off one of the sofas and step over several people sat on the floor, and over to Amber and Jess to embrace them with a hug.

AMBER and JESS are here.

AMBER

Hey, whose house is this anyway?

SASKIA

Pointing to the girl next to her.

I don’t know, DANI invited me.

AMBER

(Laughing.)

Fair enough, I need a drink where’s the kitchen.

SASKIA

Pointing to a door on the right.

Through there, we’ll be outside.

Saskia and Dani walk out of the corridor into the second room on the left. Amber walks into the kitchen and picks up two cups. She back traces out of the doorway.

AMBER

(shouting)

JESS, have you got any cups there aren’t any in the kitchen.

JESS

(shouting)

I think so. I’ll have a look.

AMBER

(shouting)

Alright, I’ll be in the garden with SASKIA.

Amber walks back through the doorway, everything goes black. Non-diegetic noise of a thud and a heartbeat increasing pace is heard in the blackout, followed by ringing and muffled shouts. JESS is heard off screen shouting.

JESS

(shouting)

AMB, I’ve got them.

JESS runs through the doorway carrying a stack of plastic cups, she sees Amber on the tiled kitchen floor surrounded by empty bottles and polystyrene food containers. She drops the cups and runs over to Amber rolling her on to her side.

JESS

AMB, AMBER can you hear me? What happened? Are you ok?

Amber stirs into consciousness and begins to sit up, she is helped into standing by Jess.

AMBER

(Struggling for breath)

I’ve been here before.

JESS

Taking a cup and filling it up with water before passing it to her.

What like a bit of déjà vu?

AMBER

No, like that hypnotherapy thing I’ve been doing, I had a memory that was here or like a vision or something.

JESS

Well I can promise you’ve not been here before, I’ve not been here before, and we got lost on the way so it’s not possible.

AMBER

Well then what’s going on, I remember this happening, I remember what you’re going to say next.

JESS

She walks closer and hold her arm.

Maybe you should lie down.

AMBER

(Struggling for breath)

Why is no one listening to me.

Screen goes black and then shows a 2 second snippet of the Therapy Room, screen goes black again and end credits appear.

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imogengraceportfolio · 7 years

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Film Studies Coursework- Imogen Mair

An exploration of Tim Burton’s auteur signature and the branding term “burtonesque”.

According to Nelmes in ‘Film Studies: The Essential Resource’ an auteur is “an individual, inevitably the director, whose contribution to a film’s style and theme is considered so significant that he or she can be considered the ‘author’ of the film. Tim Burton is already an established auteur with a distinctive appearance to his films. In the words of Mark Salisbury the editor of the book ‘Burton on Burton’, “Tim Burton has transformed from being a visionary director with the Midas touch to becoming an identifiable brand; the term 'Burtonesque’ being ascribed to any filmmaker whose work is dark, edgy or quirky, or a combination thereof’. Adding to Tim Burtons’ auteur status Mark Salisbury argues that Tim Burtons “signature” transcends his own films and inspires others with his distinctive style. I am going to be exploring this perspective through an analysis of the films; Edward Scissorhands(1990), Beetlejuice(1988), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(2007).

One of the most distinguishable “burtonesque” elements of these films is the narrative, as all of the films appear to share the same characteristics when it comes to characters, environments etc. Firstly the main character in all of these films can be described as a misunderstood outsider, this is made the most clear in Edward Scissorhands as his peculiarities are shown with appearance as well as behavior. Tim Burton’s attraction to these types of characters stems from an autobiographical perspective as he said in the book ‘The Monster and the Crowd: A Post-Jungian Perspective’ “I get the feeling people just got this urge to want to leave me alone for some reason. I don’t exactly know why.” Frank Beaver describes Tim burton’s narrative style in the article ‘Tim Burton: auteur fantastique’ as “dark and expressive tailoring- a trait that has characterized all of Burton’s screen work. He has consistently been drawn to the macabre, and every aspect of his productions from plot to settings to lighting, costumes and makeup, contribute to his cinematic vision.” Tim Burton’s narratives normally contain an abnormal outsider as a main protagonist that is typically relatable to a certain audience, placed in fantasy environments that add to the absurd nature of his films.

In relation to the narrative another key characteristic of Tim Burton’s films is the characters and to always have this alienated protagonist (shown in Edward Scissorhands). Yvonne Tasker in ‘Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers’ describes the characters of Edward Scissorhands and Lydia Deetz as “transitional” in Lydia’s case “a child-woman” and similarly in Edwards case a “half-finished physical state renders him an in-between”. This “archetype” is shown to be autobiographical to Tim Burton and to appeal and be relatable to a select audience of people likeminded to Burton himself. Despite gaining larger audiences and becoming a household name as an auteur Burton still uses the same types of outsider protagonists rather than attempt to appeal to all audiences, this defines his signature on his films as they stick to his original “brand”. Niamh Coghlan in the article ‘A massive retrospective bringing together hundreds of artworks and film-related objects tracing the trajectory of Tim Burton’s creative imagination’ says “visually his characters tend to be fractured in appearance, distorted in size, and aesthetically disturbing” this is again shown in Edward Scissorhands as his appearance is “fractured” due to the scissors for hands and numerous scars lining his face as well as the black clothing that stands out against the pastel colours of the suburban area, as well as the clothing the other characters wear which are also bright pastel colours.

On the character of Edward Scissorhands Tim Burton said “he has this kind of naïve quality which as you get older gets tested and has holes poked into it” this shows how Burton chooses to have the main characters have vulnerabilities and flaws as outsiders again choosing to direct films his own “burtonesque” way rather than have perfect less dimensional characters.

Tim Burton’s ‘stereotypical’ character appearance is at it’s peak in Sweeney Todd as both the main protagonists (Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett) are in full gothic ensemble costumes with white pale skin, erratic hair and sunken eyes. The appearances of these characters can also be compared to those of Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice as they share the pale white skin, and dark eyes, Lydia Deetz also wears similar gothic clothing in all black, whereas Beetlejuice has a black and white striped suit, similar to that of Sweeney Todd in Mrs Lovett’s ‘Seaside Fantasy’ scene. Beetlejuice’s eyes are further exaggerated with a theatrical face paint appearance rather than the other characters’ more natural approach. Winona Ryder’s character Kim in Edward Scissorhands has a completely different appearance as for the character of Kim, Tim Burton chose to make her more suburban looking as her character in this film isn’t an outsider, the blonde hair and natural makeup are a change from Tim Burton’s signature character looks.

Tim Burton is also identified by his preferences in terms of casting as those cast in a lot of his films include Helena Bonham-Carter, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder all of which share the similar appearance of pale skin and dark sunken eyes and hair. Tim Burton explains casting Winona Ryder as Kim in Edward Scissorhands saying “she’s one of my favourites. Also she responds to this kind of dark material and I thought the idea of her as a cheerleader, wearing a blonde wig, was very funny.” The appearance of Winona Ryder’s character in this film is the polar opposite to her other role as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice. Burton also describes why he chose Johnny Depp for the role of Edward Scissorhands with “I like people’s eyes a lot especially with a character like this who doesn’t really speak, eyes are very important. We wanted him right from the beginning.” Burton plays up his usual character appearance with Johnny Depp in this role as Edward is one of the most recognizable outcasts in his Filmography and uses Depp’s appearance to his advantage. Johnny Depp is then cast again by Burton in Sweeney Todd a film Frank Beaver said “offered up Burton and Johnny Depp at their most macabre extremes.” As Burton chooses and directs projects with similar narratives and characters he also chooses to cast people he is familiar with and have a passion for the project over and over as he says in ‘Burton on Burton’ “I try to work with people who want to do what I want to do” this is also the case with Helena Bonham-Carter and Winona Ryder. Burton describes the casting process for his films as a “very case-by-case thing for me. It’s hard because it’s like a puzzle. You go with one person, then you try to find another person, but you don’t want to go too much in a certain direction” when casting Beetlejuice he said that “I met Michael and that’s when I started to see the character of Beetlejuice. I didn’t know him that well, I didn’t know his work, but he’s crazy. Michael is manic, a livewire”. Tim Burton makes it clear that he doesn’t like to cast people who are popular in mainstream media and prefers to choose people who themselves are outcasts and have something to relate to the characters with.

The most obvious branding of ‘burtonesque’ in Burton’s films is the mise-en-scene, a mixture of surreal fantasy gothic visuals that give his works the ocular link audiences recognize. This distinguishable appearance is clearly displayed in the pastel coloured suburbia of Edward Scissorhands although fantasy appearing the pastel colours of the houses and clothes show the mundane lives those in the suburbia live in comparison to Edward as they have no individual identity. This is also autobiographical to Burton as he says “growing up in suburbia was like growing up in a place where there’s no sense of history, no sense of culture, no sense of passion for anything”. Visually Burton alienates Edward Scissorhands character by giving him a black leather and PVC costume and a dark gothic castle on a hill as a home as a very clear contrast from the coloured houses of the suburbia he soon finds himself in. Tim burton describes Edward Scissorhands as being “seen from Edward’s point of view, a slightly more romanticized view of the world. I like dark colours better, but they weren’t too dissimilar from what was already there. And although the production designer Bo Welch ainted all the houses different colours, it was important to me that the area still remain a community. We hardly touched the insides of the houses. What you see is pretty much what was there.” Burton through Edward Scissorhands shows that he doesn’t need to colour scheme all of his films to be in dark colours like the blue and black colour palette of Sweeney Todd he can incorporate pastel shades and his work ‘Beetlejuice’ according to Yvonne Tasker “employed self-consciously ‘cheesy’ special effects (delivered on a mini-budget in relative terms)” Burton’s “brand” is so unique that a still at any point of any of his films can be recognized as one of his works. Burton said of Beetlejuice “we wanted the effects to be kind of cheesy, and they were. We just tried to be fairly matter-of-fact about it. I didn’t want to make too much of a show of it, in a way.” this is meticulously achieved with Bo Welch with the sandworm scene and the waiting room scenes as the characters involved are suitably both low budget looking creations as well as typical Tim Burton style. Such as a man who travels through a gap on the wall attached to a coat hanger-like contraption and a man with a shrunken head that fittingly looks low budget and not realistic at all staying true to this style. Yvonne Tasker says of the special effects “the effects and imagery are firmly integrated within the fantasy world, as in the comic/grotesque physical transformations of Beetlejuice”. Burton says of Beetlejuice “I always had my own ideas about the way it should be: if there’s darkness there should be colour and light. Beetlejuice was a real mix of colour and dark to me, and I wanted to temper a lot of the darker aspects and make it a bit more colourful.” Tim Burton successfully does this throughout the film even with characters mixing the bright Miss America’s appearance of blue skin and bright pink hair with the more macabre reason for being there of suicide. There are similarities within costume between the characters Lydia Deetz and Mrs Lovett as they both dress in dark colours and all black ensembles with the exception of a bright red outfit in both films for Lydia this is her wedding dress which is an entirely bright red outfit a stark contrast to her previous costumes, for Mrs Lovett this outfit is when she has her fantasy of herself and Sweeney on a pier where she is wearing a red and white polka dot and striped outfit complete with a matching umbrella. These similarities also spread to the characters of Beetlejuice and Sweeney Todd both adopting similar black and white striped outfits Burton comments on this in relation to Beetlejuice “As far as the black and white stripes are concerned, that one I have never been able to figure out. I guess there must be some sort of prison element involved in there somehow. I am drawn to that image, I always have been, it’s in a lot of drawings as well, but I don’t know why.”

Finally there is the soundtrack that completes any Tim Burton film, both the soundtracks for Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands were written and arranged by Danny Elfman another one of Tim Burton’s favourites to collaborate with off camera scoring many of his films. Sweeney Todd however being part musical Burton collaborated with Sondheim the 1979 musical adaptation’s music composer. Tim Burton says of Beetlejuice’s soundtrack “the soundtrack also featured two calypso songs from Harry Belafonte, including the ‘Banana Boat Song’, which became the film’s unofficial theme tune” this scene of according to Tim Burton “Adam and Barbara being on vacation and this kind of calypso music which I liked” brings the blatant comedy into the film again rather than the comedy/drama mix of the previous events. Making the film although more “crude” than Tim Burton’s other films, universal to all audiences furthering his mark as an auteur who is a household family name. (Struggling to find sources that comment on Tim Burton’s use of sound)

In conclusion Tim Burton is by definition an established auteur as many agree that his films have a distinctive appearance throughout his choices in casting, colour, costume, narrative and sound, giving them a distinguished “look” branded as ‘burtonesque’ by many. His auteur status is so great it has become a household name, a line from Frank Beaver’s article ‘Tim Burton: Auteur Fantastique’ states that “after 25 years of feature-film directing, Tim Burton certainly merits auteur status” more recent films such as Sweeney Todd demonstrate that even though many years have passed since earlier films such as Beetlejuice his auteur signature is still identifiable. Despite creating films for separate audiences for example child and young adult upwards, showcased with the heartwarming family aspects of Edward Scissorhands contrasted with the more macabre horror aspects of Sweeny Todd. Burton still remains a director both child and adult alike recognize, his films such as Edward Scissorhands have a universal appeal when shown to audiences, that both the children and adults equally enjoy such narratives and visuals. Even darker films such as Sweeney Todd and the more comical Beetlejuice are still very successful despite being produced on varying budgets the Tim Burton “signature” is still there showing that there is more to his style than fancy Hollywood Special Effects, the fantasy and dramatic elements paired with the characters make his style truly unique, gaining him a cult following as well as mainstream popularity.

Annotated Catalogue

Introduction

• Film Studies The Essential Resource- Peter Bennett, Andrew Hickman and Peter Wall. Chapter 6 Quote by Nelmes 1996.

• Tim Burton: Auteur Fantastique- Frank Beaver May 12th 2010

• Burton on Burton revised edition Foreword- Johnny Depp Edited- Mark Salisbury written- Tim Burton (first published revised edition 2000 copy I own published 2006)

Narrative

• The Monster and the Crowd: A Post-Jungian Perspective- Tim burton published 2006 (December 16th)

• Tim Burton: Auteur Fantastique- Frank Beaver May 12th 2010

Characters

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English Literature Coursework- Imogen Mair

Compare and contrast the presentation of psychological distress of the central characters in The Bell Jar and The Yellow Wallpaper, consider the viewpoint that within the late 19th and early 20th Century literature, madness is routinely portrayed as an inevitable subconscious reaction to societies oppression of women.

The presentation of psychological distress and societies treatment of this, is explored with criticism throughout Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. These novels both explore the viewpoint of the female protagonist struggling against the societal expectations of both the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the time of publication The Yellow Wallpaper was originally regarded as a supernatural ghost story in the tradition of Edgar Allen Poe proving Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s protagonists view of society’s misunderstanding of mental illness and women unsettled with the house-wife life. Only when reissued in 1973 by the feminist press was the significance of The Yellow Wallpaper as a feminist text acknowledged, Elaine R. Hedges the author of the afterword to the 1973 edition calls it “one of the rare pieces of literature we have by a nineteenth-century woman who directly confronts the sexual politics of the male-female husband-wife relationship”. The Bell Jar however was published the year of Sylvia Plath’s death, the small time frame between these events attracted the audience at the time to draw mainly on autobiographical connections between “Esther” and Plath. The novel was praised by Mason Harris of The West Coast Review by using “the distorted lens of madness (to give) an authentic vision of a period which exalted the most oppressive ideal of reason and stability”. Both Mason Harris and Elaine R. Hedges recognise the significance of these texts as feminist literature in each respective time period of male and societal oppression.

The theme of male oppression is explored throughout The Yellow Wallpaper and The Bell Jar predominantly within the characters of Buddy Willard and the narrator’s husband John in The Yellow Wallpaper. Charlotte Perkins Gilman portrays this through the status of her protagonists’ husband John depicted by the narrator as “a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but nervous temporary nervous depression- a slight hysterical tendency- what is one to do?” Gilman uses this to explore the theme of male oppression through the aspects of control and over-ruling resulting in the viewpoint of madness being routinely portrayed as an inevitable subconscious reaction to societies oppression of women. As the protagonists own views and opinions are being overruled by her husband disregarding them to her relatives and friends, leading the narrator to desert her ideals of independence and ask the question “what is there to do?” in reaction to her already being inferior as a woman and also inferior as a woman in a position lower than that of her husband “a physician of high standing”. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s protagonist also appears to be subconsciously coerced by her husband into becoming a “conventional wife” through his cautions of “not to give way to fancy in the least. He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story- making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies”. These subliminal belittlements further the view of female psychological distress as a direct reaction to male oppression as Gilman explores this through her narrators husband pressuring his wife into doing as he says and feeding her his beliefs that women should have no independence or “imaginative power”. Making the protagonists psychological distress worse by neglecting her views responding to them as “story making” regarding her being outside of a “conventional wife” as futile. Similarly Plath explores this theme through Esther and Buddy Willard’s relationship in The Bell Jar as all Esther hears about “was how fine and clean Buddy was and how he was the kind of person a girl should stay fine and clean for” Plath uses this to show how women should behave is based on male morals and female submission to conform to this male oppression. Sylvia Plath critiques this view by writing with a somewhat satirical attitude portraying Esther’s rebellion as less subdued of that as the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper this also shows the time difference and that despite the novels being set in different centuries the male oppression is still evident and a problem these protagonists face. Esther “also remembered Buddy Willard saying in a sinister, knowing way that after I had children I would feel differently, I wouldn’t want to write poems anymore” Sylvia Plath utilises this to portray that male oppression towards women stems from the view that they have superior intellect as he says this in a “knowing” way as though all women are the same and have inferior knowledge and medical intellect. Buddy also appear to view Esther’s love of writing poetry as a “hobby” as he doesn’t regard it as her career just something she does to pass the time that could be taken up by having children.

In relation to this theme and view of male oppression both the protagonists in The Yellow Wallpaper and The Bell Jar are pressured into being married and staying at home to be the “conventional wife” and be satisfied with living in comparison to a male an unaccomplished life. Plath uses Esther as a vehicle to comment on female independence as a defiance to this, as this idea of a girl staying “clean and fine” for a male is irrational to Esther as she can’t comprehend why the girls around her are happy to comply she observes this in Doreen. Plath’s protagonist Esther has trouble as she “hated the idea of serving men in any way. I wanted to dictate my own thrilling letters” this also explores the view of female psychological distress due to male oppression as Plath utilises Esther’s independence to show the psychological distress her protagonist feels due to men expecting women to be this “stereotypical housewife” with no ambitions outside of the home and Esther’s individuality for objecting to comply to this. Esther faces this pressure and internalizes it assuming that she is wrong for wanting a life that doesn’t revolve around being a stay at home wife who is cared for by her husband explored through her observations on those around her. Esther describes this as “the last thing I wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow shoots off from. I wanted change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself like the coloured arrows from a fourth of July rocket” Plath portrays Esther’s will for independence through this as she divulges that she doesn’t want the ties of a family and to be the centre point children and a husband would come to; she wants to be the person she revolves around and comes back to. Sarah Churchwell in the article ‘Sylvia Plath: reflections on her legacy’ describes The Bell Jar as “An acidic satire on the madness of 1950s America and the impossibility of living up to its contradictory ideals of womanhood” Sarah Churchwell understands the difficulty of conflicting ideals of womanhood Plath’s protagonist Esther faces as well as the alienation she feels from being split between her passion for writing and the pressure she feels to start a family. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s narrator also faces the same issues, as she is expected to maintain the front of a happy marriage rather than reveal her depression in the public view. She also observes that her husband’s sister, Jennie as being content with her being her domestic role calling her “a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper, and hopes for no better profession. I verily believe she thinks it is the writing which made me sick” this appears to make the protagonist feel somewhat inadequate and that like Esther feels, she is wrong for feeling the way she does about her role as a woman. A conflicting argument to the previously explored viewpoint of male oppression being the cause of madness as a subconscious female reaction, is shown through the narrators perception of Jennie and her observation that Jennie believes “it is the writing which made me sick” as the narrator is also feeling pressure from other women however this could be a reaction to being coerced by men into thinking that way.

Following on from this both the protagonists in The Bell Jar and The Yellow Wallpaper use writing as an apparent tool of escape from the oppression of society and men. This is demonstrated by Gilman through the narrators restrictions placed on her by her husband as she writes “there comes John, and I must put this away, - he hates to have me write a word” the protagonists rebellion to John’s restrictions by writing is her way of escaping her oppression in a restrained mutinous manner that in comparison to Sylvia Plath’s Esther, appears quite insignificant but in comparison to women of the late 19th Century was an innovative uncommon reaction to society’s oppression. Furthermore the narrator is also revealed too have written “for a while in spite of them, but it does exhaust me a good deal – having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition” Gilman uses this to reveal the status and power of men and the pressures of society in the context of the novel through the word “them” referring to those she believes to be happy “conventional housewives” and the men that make up this deadly oppressive society. This also explores the viewpoint of male and societies oppression being the root cause for female psychological distress as the protagonist is being forced by her husband and those around her to act a certain way and have only misogynistic female aspirations that her only way out of becoming this “stereotype” is through rebellion which at this time falls under primitive ideas about mental health problems. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s protagonist is also in disbelief of her husband’s treatment working for her as she believes that if she “were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest” her this also follows on from her rebellion as she discredits those higher in authority believing she has superior knowledge on how to handle herself. Gilman also uses this to plant the seed of criticism against the “rest cure treatment” using her protagonist as a vessel to explore her own personal experiences as Olivia Laing writes in The Guardian about The Yellow Wallpaper “the narrative, which was based on personal experience, hinges on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s conviction that without an outlet for their prodigious talents, women are doomed to sickness and despair”. Gilman uses the protagonist’s view of her own well being to explore the idea that in that time if you had conflicting ambitions to those of a housewife the only reaction available is through psychological turmoil. Sylvia Plath similarly to Gilman explores writing as an escape for Esther and her societal disobedience. Esther however being more exposed to the world than Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s protagonist and in the 20th Century rather than the late 19th, recognises women have a little more independence yet still face male oppression and an unjust society. This is developed as she writes “what was there about us, in Belsize, so different from the girls playing bridge and studying in college to which I would return? Those girls too, sat under bell jars of a sort” Plath explores the visible increase in mental health issues within females through this as Esther realises that those studying in college, the people she sees as different and more stereotypical to her, face the same oppression and restrictions as those she sees in the mental health hospital. Furthering the viewpoint that psychological distress is a subconscious reaction to societies oppression of women, due to Esther’s understanding that all females at her time especially those who share writing as an ambition at college like herself, suffer from some amount of psychological distress at the hands of male oppression. Esther also struggles with what Diane Bonds calls an “intolerable Psychic conflict produced by trying to meet cultural expectations of women”. This is explored by Sylvia Plath as Esther writes “I needed experience. How could I write about life when I’d never had a love affair or a baby or even seen anybody die” as Esther feels she can’t use her form of escapism as she feels she hasn’t lived or done anything that classifies as rebelling to societal norms as she has never had a “love affair” and that is seen as a pure woman characteristic. This also shows her conflicting ideals about what she knows she wants her life to be, and the life she feels she should want as she mentions having a baby an idea that appears to be a stereotypical housewife thing to want.

Finally both the female authors Sylvia Plath and Charlotte Perkins Gilman use their protagonists in these novels as a means of expressing their criticisms of the treatment of mental health and the medical professions at the respective times of these novels. As psychological distress in these novels is perceived by men as women being mentally “weak” and “fragile”, unable to handle their lives and possibly “freedom” as men can. Plath uses her own experiences and views in Esther’s character and her views of her own mental health, as Esther depicts “I knew there was something wrong with me that summer … all the little successes I’d totted up so happily at college fizzled to nothing outside the slick marble and plate-glass fronts along Madison Avenue. I was supposed to be having the time of my life” this previously explored view that the protagonists have more of an understanding of their own psychological distress than the doctors and men in their lives is revealed again through this, as Plath appears to be making the point that the male belittlement of psychological distress at these times stems from an inerudite knowledge of mental health. This is also portrayed through Buddy Willard’s dis-regard for Esther’s health issues as Buddy “was very proud of his perfect health and was always telling me it was psychosomatic when my sinuses blocked up and I couldn’t breathe” this overruling of her issues is used by Plath to further demonstrate the issues of having men in a higher status in terms of the medical profession and society, as they are regarding female opinions as obsolete. Later in The Bell Jar, Esther is provided traumatic shock therapy as the first available “medication” this lack of treatment options is also explored in The Yellow Wallpaper as the protagonist is prescribed Mitchell’s rest cure treatment as the only help available rather than any substantial medication, this is shown by Gilman through her narrator as ineffective as whilst somewhat accepting this “cure” she sees this “faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if she wanted to get out” this is also used by Gilman as a metaphor for her protagonist’s will for freedom as she feels trapped by society and her husband, the same as this “faint figure” is trapped in the wallpaper as well as proof that this “rest cure” is ineffective. Bookeros in the Guardian notes that “Mitchell’s ‘rest cure’ was actually abolished by Mitchell himself after reading a copy of the novella which was sent to him by Perkins” this furthers the evidence of the “rest cure” being ineffective as after being sent a copy he discontinued it. A similar motif to this is the bell jar in The Bell Jar as Esther feels “wherever I sat- on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok- I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air” this bell jar is used by Plath as a metaphor similar to her poetic devices for the pressures and oppression of society weighing down on women so much that they feel trapped in their own psychological distress. Unlike the protagonist of The Yellow Wallpaper, Plath gives Esther a break from this psychological turmoil as Esther writes “all the heat and fear had purged itself. I felt surprisingly at peace. The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head. I was open to the circulating air” Sylvia Plath could be using this to show that despite male and societal oppression still being a big issue the treatment of mental health has improved a little since the late 19th Century of The Yellow Wallpaper.

In a contrasting view of the previously explored viewpoint, it could be argued that rather than psychological distress being an inevitable subconscious reaction to societies and male oppression of women. Psychological distress has in fact been pre-existing and the protagonists’ issues with this are just a result of male and societal ignorance. In conclusion the viewpoint that within the late 19th and early 20th Century literature, madness is routinely portrayed as an inevitable subconscious reaction to societies oppression of women. It can be argued that this viewpoint is invalid and that this reaction in the protagonists is merely the mental health services care in a primitive state however the novels by Sylvia Plath and Charlotte Perkins Gilman appear to agree that oppression is a direct cause of subliminal mental health issues as a reaction to this. Therefore despite being written in different centuries these novels can be compared and contrasted to have similar views in terms of male and societal oppression and their effects of psychological distress.

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Word count without quotes: 2430?

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES

A) Primary Texts

Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Wallpaper, Virago Press (1981), The New England Magazine (1892)

Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar, Heinemann (1963)

B) Secondary Sources: Books and Articles

Elaine. R Hedges Afterword in The Feminist Press reissue of The Yellow wallpaper (1973)

Mason Harris The West Coast Review, Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar: Critical Reception, Janet McCann (2011)

Sarah Churchwell Sylvia Plath: Reflections on her legacy, The Guardian (2013)

Olivia Laing The Yellow Wallpaper and Selected Writings, The Guardian (2009)

Diane Bonds The Separative Self in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, Women's Studies: Vol 18 (1990)

Bookeros The Yellow Wallpaper Review, The Guardian (2014)

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