The theme of descent into madness is developed in both “I Felt a Funeral in my Brain” by Emily Dickenson and in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman. Each story gradually describes the progressive madness of its main character; which is faster in “I Felt a Funeral in my Brain”. In "The Yellow Wallpaper", the idea of ​​how the lack of human interaction and change in the environment can and will lead to a nervous breakdown and loss of self, as illustrated when the woman in the background controlled physical and mental actions of the narrator. “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “I Felt a Funeral in my Brain” are similar because they both describe a descent into madness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Gilman, the narrator suffers from stress and has been given bed rest as a treatment. Over the course of the story, the main character's diary entries became more and more elusive and incomprehensible with ramblings about the yellow wallpaper that she hated so much. From the beginning, he wrote entire paragraphs and expressed his emotions, especially when he said "A colonial mansion, an inherited estate, I would say a haunted house, and reaching the pinnacle of romantic happiness - but that would be too much destiny to ask for!" This statement is taken from the beginning of the story, but later she goes mad, as seen when she says, “'I've come out of it at last,' I said, 'in spite of you and Jane. And I took out most of the paper, so you can't put me back!' Now, why would that man faint? But he did it, and right in front of the wall, so that I had to crawl over him every time! This descent into madness is also depicted in “I Felt a Funeral in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson. A funeral marks the passage from one state to another (from life to death), parallel to the speaker's passage from one stage to another (from sanity to madness). However, the poet does not observe the funeral but feels it. She is both an observer of the funeral and a participant, indicating that the Self is divided. By the end of the poem, the Self will have been shattered or in chaos. The “stepping” of the grieving person indicates a pressure that is pushing them down. The speaker has the momentary impression that the "sense" of reason is slipping away or is being lost. The pressure of stomping is reiterated with the repetition, 'beat, beat'. This time his mind, the source of reasoning, becomes "numb", further worsening his condition. The last two lines of the fourth stanza evaluate his condition; she sees herself as "broken, lonely". Her descent into irrationality separates her from other humans, making her a member of "a strange race". His alienation and inability to communicate are indicated by his being shrouded in silence. In the last stanza, Dicksinson uses the metaphor of standing on a plank or plank over a precipice, to describe the speaker's descent into irrationality. In other words, his grip on rationality was insecure, just as standing on one level would have felt insecure. She falls beyond the "worlds", which could represent her past; in any case he is losing his connection with reality. His descent is described as "diving", suggesting the speed and force of his fall into psychological chaos, shown by the phrase "surpassed knowledge". The last word of the poem, 'then -' does not conclude his experience but leaves the door open to the nightmare-horror of madness. In conclusion, “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “I Felt a Funeral in my Brain” are similar because they both depict a descent into madness. The theme of the descent into madness is developed both in “I”.