So far, we have examined short stories and narrative poems. Each has allowed us to study such themes and elements as fear, suspense, symbolism, imagery, and the ways writers use literary devices to build atmosphere and tell a story. For our seventh installment of Promptober, we’re exploring the unsettling territory of the human mind. This time, we’re looking at two works that demonstrate how horror can emerge from what happens within us. The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, by Emily Dickinson, although different in form and approach, both offer readers a glimpse into an inner world that becomes increasingly difficult to navigate. 

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Read The Yellow Wallpaper and I felt a Funeral, in my Brain and think about the ways each work shapes your experience of its narrator or speaker.

How do Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Emily Dickinson use imagery and symbolism to convey the inner experiences of their narrator and speaker?

How would the emotional impact of each work change if the authors directly explained what their characters were experiencing instead of using imagery and symbolism? 

What similarities do you notice between the wallpaper in Gilman’s story and the funeral imagery in Dickinson’s poem? 

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Although the wallpaper and funeral serve different purposes, both give shape to experiences that are difficult to explain. Gilman uses the narrator’s fixation on the wallpaper to reflect her distress, while Dickinson uses the sights, sounds, and sensations of a funeral to convey an overwhelming inner experience. Through symbolism and metaphor, both writers make abstract emotions feel tangible. Perspective also shapes how we experience these works. As the narrator’s observations change, the wallpaper becomes increasingly disturbing; in Dickinson’s poem, the speaker’s descriptions transform a funeral into an unsettling psychological experience. Rather than simply telling us something is wrong, both writers invite us to experience the world through their narrator or speaker. The works explore different themes despite these similarities. Their connection lies in how they use literary devices – including imagery, symbolism, metaphor, and repetition – to communicate inner turmoil. A pattern on a wall becomes a source of terror, and a funeral unfolds within the mind, demonstrating how writers can make invisible experiences feel almost real.

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With this concept still fresh in your mind, let’s see where it takes you. For the next three days of Promptober, write a short story, poem, reflection, collection of thoughts, scene, or anything else the following words inspire:

October 22nd – paper

October 23rd – pattern

October 24th – funeral

Interpret them literally or let them take you somewhere unexpected. And if you decide to share what you write, I’d love to see it! Share your work on Facebook or Instagram and tag @paigeturnerblogs. You can also use #paigeturnerblogs and #themodernfolio so we can find your work and follow along with Promptober.

To exploring the mind’s darker corners!

Paige Turner