Cultural Views Of Women In The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath

Men have continuously controlled the narrative for women; women were expected to be the housewives instead of reaching for a higher education or occupations that were considered â€Å"out of their league†. Women in early to mid 1900’s were oppressed by the man’s perfect view of what a woman should and should not be. Hastily after they were given the right to vote in 1920, men pressured women to stay in the realm of expertise they had participated in for centuries, domesticity. Sylvia Plath the writer of, The Bell Jar, uses the life of Esther Greenwood to show how cultural views of women disabled them from reaching their highest abilities. In addition, Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine Mystique, explains how many women that went along with the†¦show more content†¦This shows that women of this time weren’t suppose to take up jobs that weren’t seen as temporary or challenging; they were meant to be stenographers or secretaries (Plath 5); a job that would give them the perfect environment to meet a prospective husband. Women were not to be seen as smart or capable because it was a turn off to men who feared they would be dominated by their wife’s success (Chesler 66). Cee Jay, the editor of the beauty magazine that Esther interns for, is constantly judged by her appearance instead of her qualifications. This is shown when Doreen refers to Cee Jay as not caring about whether Esther has her story turned in on time because Cee Jay is, â€Å"ugly as sin† (Plath 5). After this observation is made Esther contemplates how well, Cee Jay does her job when she refers to her as, having â€Å"brains† (Plath 6). This is a clear assessment of women’s inferiority in the mid 1900’s, these women of high positions were seen as ugly and masculine (Friedan 58). When Esther meets Dr. Nolan, a female psychologist, she is surprised because she hadn’t realized women could be a psychiatrist or be come Doctors. With this encounter Esther realizes women can be very successful in career’s of art and science -careers deemed masculine by society- she realizes it’s okay toShow MoreRelatedThe Allegory Of The Double Standard1531 Words   |  7 Pagesdomestic ideal and symbolism of the bell jar The ironic coming of age and rebirth Color symbolism Manipulation between â€Å"personal experience† and variety forms of â€Å"artifice† Introduction Controversy over women s place in society and feminism has long been lurking as early as the 14th century. American poet and novelist Sylvia Plath is the author of collections of highly acclaimed poems that highlight women’s roles in a culture principally dictated by patriarchal views. Although, she is mostly acknowledgedRead MoreComparing The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne And The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath2182 Words   |  9 PagesUltimately, these come to oppress women, and confine them within the limits that the world has set for them. However, society is constantly evolving, and within the past 200 years, the role of women has changed. These changes in society can be seen within the intricacies of literature in each era. Specifically, through analyzing The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, one can observe the dynamics of society in regards to the role of women through the lens of the themeRead More Quest for Self-Identity in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing and The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath2136 Words   |  9 Pagessuch as rewritings of traditional concepts and creating voices that stand in opposition. All these issues become the matrix and concern of feminist criticism. Not the least, crucial to feminism is also pointing at the notion of diversity. For many women, the process of writing is an expression of themselves, it allows them to â€Å"throw off their chains† and to struggle for more autonomy. The twentieth century has given rise to women’s efforts to fight for their rights in the Western world. In theRead MoreThe Bell Jar, By Sylvia Plath1657 Words   |  7 PagesOf the two readings we were given to select from for our Midterm Assignment, I chose to conduct my initial psychosocial and diagnostic assessment on the character, Esther, from the semi-autobiographical novel â€Å"The Bell Jar†, by Sylvia Plath. The protagonist in the novel is a 19-year-old girl from the suburbs of Boston growing up in the 1950’s who has accepted a summer internship working at a prominent magazine in New York City. It is made clear from the beginning of the novel that Esther’s moveRead MoreThe Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath2029 Words   |  9 Pagespeople just do not talk about it due to its stigma. Depression manifests itself in sufferers with recurrent thoughts of death and dying. Sometimes these thoughts progress into thoughts and even plans for suicide. In The Bell J ar, Sylvia Plath writes from the protagonist’s point of view, who is known as Esther Greenwood; therefore readers witness first hand Esther’s personal journey as her thoughts become increasingly centered on death and she becomes disenchanted with what the world has to offer. AsRead MoreSylvia Plath s The Bell Jar1758 Words   |  8 PagesAccording to The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, â€Å"There was much debate concerning the proper place of women and the ideal characteristics of femininity throughout the nineteenth century† (610). The Victorian Era formally followed the reign of Queen Victoria in England from 1837 to 1901, but the era is not so rigidly set. The ideologies, values, and mores associated with the Victorian Era were present before Queen Victoria, and then followed into America and also lived sixty years pastRead More10 Things I Hate About You Taming of the Shrew: Appropriation1376 Words   |  6 Pages10 Things I Hate About You The Taming of the Shrew The historical and cultural contexts of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (TTS) and the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You (10TIH) differ exceptionally, resulting in the film’s expression of values unlike those expressed in Shakespeare’s original text. Shakespeare’s play was written during the Elizabethan era, during which the belief that men were superior to women was prevalent. This concept is centralised in TTS, through incorporation