- The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman How does the author use characters to develop the central ideas of their story? Use textual evidence to support your answer. Your response will be graded according to this rubric.

Certainly! Let's analyze how the authors of "The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman use characters to develop the central ideas of their stories.<br /><br />### "The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges<br /><br />In "The Garden of Forking Paths," Borges uses the character of Dr. Yu Tsun to explore themes of time, reality, and choice. Dr. Yu Tsun is a Chinese professor turned spy for the Germans during World War I. His mission is to convey a secret message to his German handlers, which he does through a seemingly random act of murder.<br /><br />1. **Exploration of Time and Reality**: Dr. Yu Tsun's journey leads him to the home of Dr. Stephen Albert, who reveals that Yu Tsun's ancestor, Ts'ui Pên, created a novel that represents a labyrinth of infinite possibilities. This conversation between Yu Tsun and Albert delves into the idea that every decision creates a new branch in time, leading to multiple, coexisting realities.<br /> - **Textual Evidence**: "In all fictional works, each time a man meets diverse alternatives, he chooses one and eliminates the others; in the fiction of Ts'ui Pên, he chooses—simultaneously—all of them. He creates, in this way, diverse futures, diverse times which themselves also proliferate and fork."<br /><br />2. **Choice and Consequence**: Yu Tsun's ultimate decision to kill Dr. Albert to send his message underscores the theme of choice and its far-reaching consequences. His actions are driven by necessity and desperation, highlighting the complex interplay between free will and determinism.<br /> - **Textual Evidence**: "I carried out my plan immediately. I raised my eyes and the short nightmare disappeared. Albert lay at my feet, his face infinitely sad, his hands still clutching the pen and the manuscript."<br /><br />### "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman<br /><br />In "The Yellow Wallpaper," Gilman uses the unnamed narrator to critique the treatment of women and the impact of mental illness. The story is a first-person account of a woman suffering from postpartum depression, who is subjected to the "rest cure" prescribed by her husband, John.<br /><br />1. **Critique of Gender Roles**: The narrator's descent into madness is exacerbated by her husband's patronizing and controlling behavior. John dismisses her opinions and confines her to a room with yellow wallpaper, believing it will help her recover. This dynamic illustrates the oppressive gender roles of the time.<br /> - **Textual Evidence**: "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage. John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures."<br /><br />2. **Mental Illness and Isolation**: The narrator's isolation and lack of mental stimulation lead her to become obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her room. Her fixation on the wallpaper symbolizes her struggle for freedom and self-expression within the constraints imposed by her husband and society.<br /> - **Textual Evidence**: "The front pattern does move, and no wonder! The woman behind shakes it! Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling shakes it all over."<br /><br />By using these characters, both Borges and Gilman effectively develop the central ideas of their respective stories. Borges uses Dr. Yu Tsun to explore philosophical questions about time and existence, while Gilman uses the narrator to highlight the detrimental effects of patriarchal oppression and the mishandling of mental health.<br /><br />These analyses demonstrate how the authors employ their characters to deepen the reader's understanding of the central themes, supported by specific textual evidence from the stories.