“The Yellow Wallpaper” is an excellent example of literature
that meets the criteria described by the Norton text. It takes the time to
interpret the human condition in ways related to the human psyche as well as
the role of the woman in society in the time in which it was written. It
explores mental illness specifically related to post-partum depression and the
woman’s role on the small scale of the household as submissive to the husband. Through
interpretation, the piece gives pleasure to the reader by weaving a complicated
web that surrounds a mentally compromised protagonist. Also through the
interpretation of the human condition, “The Yellow Wallpaper” attempts to
instruct readers on the dangers of ignoring issues of mental health as well as attempting
to correct the behaviors that surround a mentality of “man knows best.”
I would agree with the text that the functions of literature
are to interpret some aspect of the human condition and to give pleasure to the
reader. I do not, however, agree that literature must somehow instruct or
correct human behavior. Every piece of literature has a message, but it doesn’t
have a moral, which to me, is what constitutes instruction or potential
correction. Of all three functions the text lists, the most important is to
give pleasure to the reader. This is the most important to me because I firmly
believe that a piece of literature would not be nearly as successful in
fulfilling the other two functions of interpreting the human condition and
instructing or correcting human behavior if it was not enjoyable for the
reader. The reader may never complete reading the piece if they find no pleasure
in it. This makes reader pleasure the most important aspect because it opens
the door for the other functions to be fulfilled.