The Bell Jar

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The Bell Jar Analytical Essay Society can influence what we do and who we become. During the mid 20th century America, many women sacrificed on the altar of pre-feminist repressive 1950s America. In Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, the female protagonist, Esther Greenwood, is challenged with the choices she must make deferring with her future. Esther’s insecurity of her identity triggers a rapidly declining loop of mental health. The Bell Jar does not label Esther’s life as heroic or suffering. Sylvia Plath doesn’t characterize Esther’s insecurity to men, society, or herself, although she does criticize all three. More or less, Esther accuses mental illness, which she illustrates as a profound and disturbing disease. By the standards of the ideal 1950s male, Esther’s college boyfriend, Buddy Willard is practically flawless. Esther admires Buddy’s perfection and handsome form. Once she gets to know him better, she sees his flaws. In what was considered the natural behavior of men during the time, Buddy spends a summer sleeping with a waitress while still dating Esther. He says he slept with her because she was “Free, White, and Twenty-One.” Buddy never apologizes to Esther for his actions. Esther is a virgin and plans on staying one. Her mother sends her articles from magazines on the topic of staying a virgin. One of the articles is from Readers Digest. It’s titled “In Defense for Chastity.” It’s stated that it was the duty of a female to remain chaste until married, even if her husband did not. Buddy does not care for this and decides to sleep with other women either way. Esther can’t get Buddy to understand her goals of becoming a poet or a writer because like men, he is obeying. Her relationships with men are supposed to be romantic and meaningful, but they’re marked by misunderstanding, distrust, and violence. He sees her role as being his
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