My exhibition titled Rotten Apples? An Analysis of Hysteria and Gender Roles in Du Maurier’s “The Apple Tree” examines the unusual behavior of the husband in relation to hysteria. In the story, a widowed husband develops an abnormal obsession with the apple tree outside his home who he claims to encapsulate Midge, his late wife. It appears the husband is being haunted after strange events occur, but no other characters share these experiences. This suggests the husband has become delusional and hysterical. Before the publication, hysteria afflicted women for centuries and after the publication in 1952, hysteria remained a diagnosable disorder until 1980. Du Maurier’s purpose in this story is to depict a man being affected by hysteria, a gendered disorder, to reveal the power of the patriarchy so it can be dismantled in the diagnosis of women. Additionally, Du Maurier’s story is to portray the negative effects of being women constrained to their gender roles through Midge and how this makes women miserable, not hysterical. This exhibit assembles information and studies on hysteria and reviews of “The Apple Tree” to prove Du Maurier’s purpose of dismantling the patriarchy.
Credits
Kelly Cwik