• April to June 2024 Article ID: NSS8696 Impact Factor:8.05 Cite Score:735 Download: 37 DOI: https://doi.org/ View PDf

    A Critical Study Of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar’’

      Rajendra Mishra
        Asst. Prof. & HOD (English) Govt. M.H.College of Home Science & Science for Women, Jabalpur (M.P.)
  • Abstract - Sylvia Plath’s 1964 novel, The Bell Jar, first released in 1963, addresses the issue of female exploitation that is fundamental to the institution of marriage. It seems like women are being protected by this organization. Male members claim that the organization was established to defend women. The goal is to get them into the workforce and out of the house. More specifically, it was meant to reassure males and keep women in their households. The idea is to provide men with a tidy, well-maintained, calm, and pleasant home to come home to after a long day at work. According to this viewpoint, males are assigned dominant jobs, and women are submissive ones. The Bell Jar is a highly autobiographical novel that unveils Plath’s seemingly perfect life, underlain by grave personal discontinuities, some of which doubtless had their origin in the death of her father Otto Plath. The novel’s protagonist, Esther Greenwood, shares many similarities with Plath, including her inability to adapt to New York City, her attempt to commit suicide by taking an excess dose of sleeping pills, and her period of recovery involving electroshock and psychotherapy. This paper will critical analysis of The Bell Jar from a feminist standpoint, highlighting the dual perceptions that women have of themselves in public: as mad or as feminine. This paper also argues that, despite some research linking her insanity to her rejection of femininity, her rejection of femininity is an intentional decision that leads to artistic freedom.