Summer Reading '11 discussion

The Bell Jar
So, not really sure how to start a discussion by I thought I'd give it a try. I liked the overall story, but I most enjoyed the reading about some of the feminist issues especially in the first half of the book. Although Esther is a career-bound college student, she still feels the weight of society to "find someone to marry."

She also finds fault with the hypocrisy of male/female purity standards, which is a recurring theme. I liked the fact that it is from a perspective of someone who is in a way detached from society, so all her thoughts are raw and uninhibited.

Esther also finds part of her freedom when she gets on birth control. I liked this partly because of my own theory of the co-evolution of women's liberation and birth control. She states, '"What I hate is the thought of being under a man's thumb." I told Dr. Nolan, "A man doesn't have a worry in the world, while I've got a baby hanging over my head like a big stick, to keep me in line."' Pg 221.

I know, not really the point of the book, but I thought, maybe worth discussion. Any thoughts?

Yes, this is definitely a theme. Throughout the entire book are little things like that. I noticed how her experience with Dr. Gordon was terrible (he was a man), but she absolutely loved Dr. Nolan (woman), even though they essentially did the same thing. Like, how did shock treatments magically become relaxing once Dr. Nolan was in charge?

Also, though the novel is showing the slow progression into Esther's insanity, one thing I noticed is that it seems the major turning point is when she is almost raped by Marcos (I think that's his name), the "woman-hater". Prior to this incident, she seems mostly normal, but after this is when she appears to snap. Of all the men encountered, it was the proclaimed "woman-hater" who seems a catalyst into her decent.

I totally agree with the whole birth control = liberation thing, as well. Personally, I really liked how she became "free" by having sex with a man who fit a criteria, but that the true part of the "freedom" was to never speak to him again. Yes, somewhat sketch/sleazy, but I totally understand what she means and how it is empowering (not from experience, but I get her point).

Perhaps my favorite foreshadowing in the book, just in general, not necessarily on the theme of feminism, is how the first line of the book is talking about the Rosenbergs(sp?) and how terrible Esther thinks it would be to be electrocuted, then she herself goes through shock treatments. The Bell Jar

Also, I like the fact that Esther, though a feminist, wasn't super intense nor a lesbian. I think Plath was kinda showing that not all feminists have to be a certain way nor follow a certain stereotype through Esther.

You guys are making this book too more complicated than it needs to be. The real theme of this book is: "What the hell am I going to do with my English major?" Just kidding. I think you're bringing up some good things, but I don't do feminist criticism so well, so I'm going to start a new thread on psychological criticism.