Institutional Lies

The main objective of an oppressor is to emanate a strong sense of power and dominance. The theme of manipulation is clearly demonstrated in The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemmingway. In both literary pieces, the oppressor skillfully manipulates the oppressed until the exploited eventually begins to perpetuate their own oppression. This theme is also portrayed in the song The Blacker the Berry by Grammy award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. When individuals become so brainwashed by oppression it often leads to their downfall, like the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper, Jig from Hills Like White Elephants, and the African American race demonstrated in Kendrick Lamar’s music. 

            It is clear that the wife in The Yellow Wallpaper is manipulated by her husband, John. John convinces his wife into thinking that domestic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare are her responsibilities since she is a woman. When she is unable to accomplish these tasks, she is labeled psychotic and is sent away by her husband to live in isolation. The woman begins to succumb to John’s covert oppression and begins to see herself as unstable just as John had flawlessly intended. Over time, the demeaning phrases John uses toward his wife, like “bless her little heart” or “What is it little girl”(Gillman 322) begin to make her feel objectified and she starts to believe that she truly is inferior to her husband. John’s constant manipulation makes his wife lose grip on reality. She starts to envision a woman trapped behind the wallpaper in her room and she effortlessly tries to free her while John is away. It is no longer John who is pointing out her instability; she is doing it to herself. While obsessing over the woman behind the wallpaper she states, “as soon as it was moonlight and that poor thing began to crawl and shake the pattern, I got up and ran to help her” (Gillman 326). This manipulation and exploitation has crept so far back into the woman’s subconscious that she starts to believe that she really is as crazy as John claims. This new discovery causes her to perpetuate her “illness.” By the end of Gillman’s short story, the main character has gone absolutely mad and is unable to grasp reality. John successfully oppressed her to the point that she began to perpetuate her own oppression.

            Ernest Hemmingway conveys the same theme of manipulation in his short story, Hills Like White Elephants. Hemmingway depicts a man and a woman, with no signs of being married, discussing whether or not the woman should abort her pregnancy. Throughout the story, the man portrays himself as more intelligent than the woman, Jig. This is done to make her feel incompetent to make such a tough decision. He does this by over simplifying the procedure to make her feel like she is overthinking her choice. He states, “It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in” (Hemmingway 115). He is also seen as superior to her when she relies on him to translate Spanish for her. Just like John in The Yellow Wallpaper, the man in Hemmingway’s piece has a patronizing undertone when he speaks to Jig. The man uses repetition throughout the piece as if to insinuate that she does not understand the situation. He repeats that the procedure is “perfectly simple” (Hemmingway 114), when that is not the case at all. The man also states multiple times that it is her decision whether or not to keep the baby, and again that is not true. It was not until 1973, that women had full rights to their body. Through the man’s persistence on aborting the baby and undermining Jig’s intelligence, he is able to manipulate her until she finally allows him to make the decision for her. She begins to believe all of his lies and ultimately gives him control over her body, which is one of the most drastic forms of oppression.

            Fortunately, since these influential pieces of literature were published, women have acquired more rights in regards to their health and their body. However, the theme of manipulation leading to the perpetuation of ones own oppression is still prevalent for black people in America. Kendrick Lamar, a Grammy award-winning rapper born and raised in Compton, California, produced a song entitled The Blacker the Berry in 2015. The lyrics describe how this theme is impacting the African American race. Kendrick Lamar expresses how America has suppressed black people for centuries by covertly keeping them in ghettos and giving them fewer opportunities to progress. This manipulation has become so imbedded in the eyes of society that it has subconsciously became the norm. African Americans have been oppressed for so long that now they are beginning to perpetuate their own oppression. With lyrics such as, “It’s such a shame they may call me crazy They may say I suffer from schizophrenia or somethin’ But homie, you made me” (Lamar 2015). In this country, white people of power are so quick to call African Americans “thugs” or “delinquents” when they are the ones who have kept them down for so long. Kendrick also raps, “You sabotage my community, makin a killin. You made me a killer” (Lamar 2015) and “Institutionalized manipulation and lies reciprocation of freedom only live in your eyes You hate me don’t you” (Lamar 2015). Kendrick Lamar wants to open the eyes of African Americans who struggle like he did. His lyrics state, “Why did I weep when Treyvon Martin was in the streets when gang banging make me kill a nigga blacker than me Hypocrite!” (Lamar 2015). These poetic lyrics explain just how hypocritical it is that African Americans use the term “gangbang” so freely and treat it as an act that is accepted in their culture. Though accepted, it still contributes to so many fatalities, yet they wept when George Zimmerman killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Kendrick is trying to warn African Americans that they need to open their eyes to the unfair manipulation and break these unjust ideologies. Kendrick wants to see an end to his race perpetuating their own oppression.

            The theme of manipulation is apparent in the works of Gillman, Hemmingway, and Kendrick Lamar. When the oppressor manipulates, with such repetition and force, the one being exploited begins to make their own oppression. This theme has been clearly illustrated in The Yellow Wallpaper and Hills Like White Elephants by the way the men controlled the women through psychological warfare. In recent decades, women’s rights have flourished and our society has seen such an increase in respect for women. Kendrick Lamar is beginning to shed light on how this issue of manipulation is affecting African Americans in this country. Kendrick believes that the government, along with oppressed black individuals, need to make changes in order for African Americans to be respected individuals with equal rights and opportunities.

It Is Just Human Nature

           Living in a dynamic society that becomes more progressive every day is an intriguing idea. Though this thought may be true, it is agreeable that, deep down, inherent human nature never truly changes. Humans are born with fundamental desires such as acceptance, love, sex, and purpose. These yearnings have been imbedded in individuals since the beginning of time. By studying literature from vastly different time periods and making connections between characters and themes, it is possible to prove that the way humans think and act has not changed as much as we would like to believe. Despite Antigone, being written by Sophocles 2,387 years prior to A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams, the two works of literature share numerous similarities and connections. These parallels prove that society changes over time, but humans have been experiencing the same themes and desires for thousands of years.

            The desire for acceptance and belonging often causes individuals to become blind to reality. This is a prominent theme in both Williams’ and Sophocles’ playwrights. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois desperately craves acceptance back into her old lavish lifestyle at Belle Reve. She demonstrates this by continuing to wear her expensive clothes and belittling anyone that she believes to be of lower social class. Blanche is unable to accept that her reality has changed and that she must rely on her sister to survive. Her yearning for her old life back becomes so out of hand that she starts to create illusions. These misconceptions of reality make her unable to comprehend real life. She becomes so delusional that she pretends that an old suitor, Shep Huntleigh has invited her on a vacation. She also starts talking to herself and hears nonexistent music in her head. Blanche attempts to justify her coping mechanisms by explaining, “I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent thing to them. I don’t tell truth, I tell what ought to be the truth” (Blanche 1123-1124). Blanche becomes so obsessed with her desire to be accepted that she is unable to grasp reality and becomes mentally unstable. In Antigone, Creon is the new leader of Thebes and greatly wants to be accepted by his new subjects. He attempts to gain this acceptance by being true to his word that he would kill anyone who tried to give Eteocles, a traitor of Thebes, a proper funeral. He thought that the citizens of Thebes would consider him to be a weak ruler if he gave his niece, Antigone, special treatment just because she was family. In reality, the citizens sympathize with Antigone and beg for Creon to lift the punishment. His son, Haemon, states, “the city mourns for this girl; they think she is dying most wrongly and most undeservedly of all womenkind, for the most glorious acts (Haemon 744-746). This inability to see the truth in reality ultimately leads to Creon’s downfall. This unbridled desire to be accepted causes both Creon and Blanche to lose their grasp on reality.

            Another commonality lies in Antigone and Blanche’s desire to be empowered individuals fighting oppression while their sisters, Ismene and Stella, let men dictate their lives. Stella and Ismene’s submissive ways makes it difficult for them to comprehend their sisters’ passions and desires. Ismene cannot fathom her sister going against a man’s orders, “You ought to realize we are only women, not meant in nature to fight against men, and that we are ruled, by those who are stronger, to obedience in this and even more painful matters” (Ismene 70-73). In this time period, women were not supposed to disobey or threaten a man’s power and that is exactly what Antigone had done by going against Creon’s ruling. Then, too, throughout Blanche’s trip to New Orleans, she constantly threatens Stanley, who is the man of the house. During her stay, Blanche talks to Stanley as if he is of lower social class. This is shown when she states, “But I have become foolish-casting my pearls for swine” (Blanche 1228). In this statement, Blanche is comparing Stanley and his friend Mitch to a filthy animal. In the 1940’s, it was unheard of for a woman to speak to a man with such disregard. Blanche disapproves of women being so dominated by a man, which is why she is so shocked when her sister Stella stated, “I can hardly stand it when he is away for a night…and when he comes back I cry on his lap like a baby” (Stella 1172). Blanche and Antigone challenged the very culture of being ruled by men. When unique women, like Blanche and Antigone, are oppressed by a male figure their passion and uniqueness are often diminished.

            Both Tennessee Williams and Sophocles expressed the concept of Social Darwinism based on gender in their playwrights. Blanche is portrayed as weak and psychotic by her brother-in-law, Stanley, when she is caught in a web of lies about her past. When Blanche is portrayed as less than perfect, Stanley thrives off this and uses it to implement her downfall. Stanley is a primitive patriarch who exemplifies his power over Blanche on numerous occasions. Stanley establishes his dominance when he smacks Stella’s thigh in front of all his friends around the poker table and when he does not stand up when Blanche walks in the room, he states, “Nobody’s getting up, so don’t be worried” (Stanley 1185). “Survival of the fittest” is portrayed when Stanley rapes Blanche and sends her into a total state of delusion and mental instability. By raping Blanche, Stanley demonstrated his manly power by completely breaking her down emotionally and making it impossible for her to ever get her dream of a normal life.  Sophocles presented Social Darwinism through the conflict between Antigone and Creon. Antigone is automatically seen as weak and inferior simply because she is a woman. Since women were normally submissive to men in this time period, Creon instinctually oppresses Antigone by treating her like an object and sentencing her to death for simply standing up for what she believes. Creon, being the ruler of Thebes, already sees himself as more powerful than Antigone. Creon states, “When I am alive no woman shall rule” (Creon 577). He also states, “there are other fields for him to plough” (Creon 624). These statements exemplify how he sees Antigone and how easy it would be to replace her once he kills her. A Streetcar Named Desire and Antigone took place in vastly different time periods, yet both playwrights display a powerful man causing the downfall of a woman.

            Yet another parallel can be seen in how death and sorrow causes Blanche and Antigone to think irrationally. When Blanche moves in with her sister in New Orleans she is recovering from multiple deaths in her family. These traumatic experiences cause her to lose her old life of wealth. “Funerals are quiet, but deaths-not always. Sometimes their breathing is hoarse, and sometimes it rattles, and sometimes they even cry out to you, “Don’t let me go!” (Blanche 1173). The expense of the multiple funerals and tremendous debt was too much for Blanche to handle. After Blanche let her estate slip away, she wanted nothing more than to get it back. Similarly, Antigone experiences the death of her brother Eteocles. Antigone’s strong desire to give her brother a proper funeral masks the fact that she will be sentenced to death. She totally disregards her sister’s pleas to not go through with the burial and law of the land and does what she wants.  These unfortunate similarities prove that in 441 B.C. and 1947, watching family members die will cause anyone to think instinctually and irrationally.

            The numerous connections and similarities between Antigone, which was written in 441 B.C., and A Streetcar Named Desire, written in 1947, proves that desire is human nature. From thousands of years ago to the 20^th century, there have been women who desire acceptance, fight oppression, and act irrationally when a loved one dies. The fact that Tennessee Williams created characters so similar to the characters found in Sophocles’ proves that humans are born with certain inherent traits. Studying these two famous pieces of literature also proves that there are inherently bad people in the world, such as Creon and Stanley. When people wonder why there are still immoral people in the world, comparing these playwrights proves that it is just human nature.