Two completely different stories with many character similarities and differences are "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Yellow Wallpaper". Edgar Allan Poe's main character suffers from a mental illness that does not allow him to see or admit that he is disturbed and Charlotte Perkins Gilman tells a story about the narrator's mental decline. In both stories, the narrator is the main character suffering from mental illness and both characters are obsessed with a particular object. The main character focuses on the old man's eye in "The Tell-Tale Heart" and the main character is obsessed with the hideous wallpaper in "Yellow Wallpaper". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay By the beginning of “Tell-Tale Heart,” it’s already clear that Poe’s main character is disturbed. “So why am I crazy?” Listen! and observe with what health – with what calmness I can tell you the whole story. (Poe) In this case, the main character thinks he is telling an innocent story about himself. He wants us to believe that his actions are a normal response to someone in his situation. He tells his story matter-of-factly, almost as if it's natural for him to act the way he does. However, in Gilman's story, the main character tells his story gradually and his obsession grows as his story continues. She describes the house they moved into for the summer as a beautiful refuge: “The most beautiful place! It is quite alone, well back from the road, 3 miles from the village” (Gilman). But as she continues to examine every inch of the house, her obsession becomes more evident when it comes to wallpaper. “I have never seen a worse newspaper in my life.” (Gilman). It is here that she describes the wallpaper in detail and begins to show its instability. She discusses different topics throughout her walks but always returns to the wallpaper making some sort of negative remark about it. In both stories, the main characters have different moods. In Poe's story, he is excited. “So you think I’m crazy?” A fool cannot plan. But you should have seen me. (Poé). The main character seems delighted that this is happening. He is impatient and almost proud of his actions and thinks his plan is perfect. In Gilman's story, the narrator is not so sure of herself. “I guess John has never been nervous in his life. He makes fun of me so much about this wallpaper! » She thinks his behavior is normal. She believes that her actions are not unreasonable and that her husband reacts like any husband. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, the main characters in both the stories are not rational and fail to realize this themselves. The main character of "The-Tell-Tale Heart" wants you to believe that he is perfectly sane and is adamant that his actions were necessary to save himself from the evil eye. On the other hand, Gilman's main character doesn't believe that her conflicts with her husband and the wallpaper are important enough to worry about and eventually frees herself from her rival, the wallpaper..