Reflection

    “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.