Identity In The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath

Words: 1099

Pages: 5

Open Document

A Bell Jar with a Tight Lid For some individuals, knowing who they are just comes naturally, but in some cases, people have to go out of their way in order to find their identity. The journey to self-discovery is portrayed in The Bell Jar, for the novel focuses on the narrator, Esther Greenwood, as she struggles to find herself. Through the skillful use of various literary devices, the author, Sylvia Plath, presents the theme of identity in the novel. To begin with, Esther’s lack of identity is revealed in the very first chapter of the book when she introduces herself under a fake name, Elly Higginbottom, to a man she meets in Times Square. She justifies her actions by claiming that [she] didn't want anything [she] said or did to be associated with [herself] and [her] real name” (Plath 11). Though it is understandable to not want to divulge personal information to a stranger, Esther continues her …show more content…
Each time she approaches a mirror, she “repeatedly confronts her own unrecognized or distorted image in the mirror” (Bonds). For instance, one evening as she is riding the elevator to her room, she “noticed a big, smudgy-eyed Chinese woman staring idiotically into [her] face” (Plath 18) only to find that it was actually her reflection in the mirror. Another incident where she is unable to recognize herself occurs when she wakes up in the hospital after a suicide attempt and immediately demands the nurse to lend her a mirror. The nurse reluctantly gives it to her and Esther questions why the nurse made such a big deal over it because she claims “it wasn't a mirror at all, but a picture” (Plath 174). The mirror not only symbolizes Esther’s failure to recognize the outside of her being, but serves to provide insight on how difficult it will be to find herself on the inside as well since she can’t even discern her own self when she comes across a

Summary: The Diary Of An Oxygen Thief

Primary Sources Anonymous. The Diary of an Oxygen Thief. New York, Gallery Books, 2006. Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. America, Heinemann, 1963. The Diary of an Oxygen Thief and The Bell Jar are both works of literature that demonstrate how the expectations of society can drive a person into insanity, and how society influences our identities. Both of these books are examples of two people that were set to have everything they desired but were crushed by the pressure that society provided. These…

Words 904 - Pages 4

Essay about Sylvia Plath

Emma Renner The Bell Jar January 27, 2015 Mr. Poindexter Bell jar a cylindrical glass vessel with a rounded top and an open base, used to protect and display fragile objects or to establish a vacuum or a controlled atmosphere in scientific experiments. After reading the novel I looked up the title of the book because I was unsure of what a bell jar actually was and the definition made a lot of sense to me. Sylvia Plath had dealt with depression for most of her life and I think for her, writing this book helped her to reflect on…

Words 1184 - Pages 5

Novel Notebook: The Bell Jar

Novel Notebook: The Bell Jar 1.Setting/Matter: The Bell Jar is set in June 1953 to January 1954. During this time, Mccarthy is conducting the Red Scare and The Rosenbergs are executed. While looking into this section I realized that the Rosenberg execution was mentioned about five times throughout the book. This led me to ask myself the question; how is the Rosenberg execution utilized in the Bell Jar? Sylvia Plath uses the Rosenberg execution to do two things, to characterise Esther Greenwood and…

Words 1788 - Pages 8

Examples Of Conformity In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

interact, Being compelled to conform to society's idea of normality induces a loss of self-identity and suffocating pressure to adhere to predetermined expectations for how one should fit within society, leading to a conflict between one's internal expression of self-identity and outward conformity to…

Words 1584 - Pages 7

The Bell Jar Semester Paper

2014 THE MYSTERIOUS DARKNESS: THE REASON WHY ESTHER GREENWOOD CAN’T “BE NORMAL” Normalcy is defined in the dictionary as the condition of being normal; the state of being usual, typical, or expected. The character of Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath penetrates the boundaries of being normal. Esther’s story is more than the pursuit for sexual freedom that many claim it to be. Her story is a silent call for help. But why does Esther need help? There is evidence to support the theory that…

Words 3632 - Pages 15

The Importance Of Belonging

HSC Subject Guide Belonging 2009 HSC: Area of Study – English - related material English HSC 2009 - 2012 is Belonging. What does belonging mean? From the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus: belong, verb, 1) to be rightly put into a particular position or class; 2) fit or be acceptable in a particular place or environment; 3) belong to be a member of; 4) belong to be the property or possession of. Belonging, noun, affiliation, acceptance, association, attachment, integration, closeness, rapport,…

Words 4133 - Pages 17