The Bell Jar How Did Sylvia Plath Influence Her Poetry
On October 27th, 1932 a legendary poet was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Little did the world know that this poet, Sylvia Plath, would forever change literature. As the daughter of Otto Plath and Aurella Scholber, Sylvia Plath struggled throughout her life. She found a love for writing and exhibited her talent for words early on. She started school early and began writing poems at the age of five. From then on, Plath’s passion for words influenced her life greatly. In addition to writing, love was a large aspect of Plath’s life. Her rocky relationship with her husband Ted Hughes caused her to go into a deep state of depression. This unhealthy relationship also had a large influence on her poetry. The unconventional poetry of Sylvia Plath reflected
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She felt inferior to men and was insulted by the constraints of society. This led her to compose the novel, The Bell Jar. Here, she speaks for all women with a startling feminist view, criticizing the male dominated society (How Did Sylvia Plath Treat the Theme of Feminism in Her Poetry). In the Bell Jar, the character, Esther, is a product of the patriarchal society in which Plath lives. Esther is a very intelligent woman but is restrained by the time period she lives in. The other character in the novel, Buddy, portrays a typical male during the 1950’s. He believes his job, as a doctor is more important than Esther’s work. One night as Esther is returning home from a hotel she begins vomiting. She states, “I would feel it rising up in me again, and the glittering while torture chamber tiles under my feet and over my head and on all four sides closed in and squeezed me to pieces.” Esther believes she must cleanse herself before she returns home. What she is really doing is cleansing herself from society. Esther wants to rise up against society but is unable to and remains trapped in a Bell Jar (Voight). This entire novel demonstrates Plath’s views of men throughout life. It can almost be viewed as an autobiography. Throughout the novel, Esther, represents Plath and her story is a direct reflect of Plath’s
She felt inferior to men and was insulted by the constraints of society. This led her to compose the novel, The Bell Jar. Here, she speaks for all women with a startling feminist view, criticizing the male dominated society (How Did Sylvia Plath Treat the Theme of Feminism in Her Poetry). In the Bell Jar, the character, Esther, is a product of the patriarchal society in which Plath lives. Esther is a very intelligent woman but is restrained by the time period she lives in. The other character in the novel, Buddy, portrays a typical male during the 1950’s. He believes his job, as a doctor is more important than Esther’s work. One night as Esther is returning home from a hotel she begins vomiting. She states, “I would feel it rising up in me again, and the glittering while torture chamber tiles under my feet and over my head and on all four sides closed in and squeezed me to pieces.” Esther believes she must cleanse herself before she returns home. What she is really doing is cleansing herself from society. Esther wants to rise up against society but is unable to and remains trapped in a Bell Jar (Voight). This entire novel demonstrates Plath’s views of men throughout life. It can almost be viewed as an autobiography. Throughout the novel, Esther, represents Plath and her story is a direct reflect of Plath’s