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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.