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 novels explain the complex course that people have to take to find their true identity. The two novels are examples of modern literature, showing the struggle to find a person's true identity. The books use the lack of certainty to draw the reader in, making them question whether the characters are going to find their way back to sanity or not. In society we are given expectations on how we are supposed to look and act, proving that society provides us our identities. The literature chosen shows two characters that are pressured into conforming to the social needs and roles, that they are pushed into…show more content… The Diary of an Oxygen Thief begins with Sal, the protagonist who is already suffering from the negative effects that society contributes, finds himself buckling under the pressure. He begins to overcome it by becoming an editor, but towards the end suffers from depression and alcoholism. Whereas in The Bell Jar, Esther who lives in the lower class, reveals her dreams of becoming a writer in New York. Unfortunately, Esther buckles under the pressures and succumbs to her insanity, and finds herself in a mental institution. The anonymous writer has provided an example of how conforming to society's norms can be your downfall, Sylvia Plath provides us with an example of how society's expectations are only reachable for those in the middle or upper
