| 要約: | In this paper, we will discuss the power dynamics that drive gendered conversations and the suicide ideation that arises from the disproportionate exercise of societal power on the female individual. This paper explores the theme of suicide narratives in literature, focusing on Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), and Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar (1963). Suicide narratives in literature bring to light the intricate intersections of mental illness, societal pressures, and the quest for self-identity. Historically, suppression and oppression have elicited varied responses in women, including submission (wherein they conform completely to their society), martyrdom, and ostracism (the latter two were performed when women proved ‘insubordinate’). In Gilman’s story, submission to ‘better advice’ foreshadows the narrator’s descent into dissociation. In Plath’s novel, the protagonist becomes alienated from the world around her; her body becomes her enemy, and she tries unsuccessfully to escape it. Ultimately, she sees the value of her life and strives to continue. The two narratives highlight the growing need to understand the detrimental impact of conforming to social conventions even when they prove harmful to the individual. Moreover, the interactions between the power exerted by said societal norms and the female-gendered psyche are analysed. In this paper, we will use Foucault’s opinions on suicide, and the doctor-patient relationship between society and the psychologically ill individual, Gilbert and Gubar’s thoughts on female agency to analyse the texts.
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