The purpose of this thesis is to examine how female authors have presented their own views of a gender restrictive era.
Therefore, I am going to analyze two feminist theories, Margaret Fuller's theory "Woman in the nineteenth century" (1845) and Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique" (1963), as well as Sylvia Plath's novel "The Bell Jar" (1963). These texts are chosen as they all deal with issues related to femininity and tried to redefine gender roles at their time.
The first part of this thesis will compare the theoretical ideas of Friedan and Fuller in order to see how these authors have experienced the patriarchal system of their time and to what extent the role of women in American society has changed. Both theories are important for the analysis of "The Bell Jar" as they contribute to an understanding of the protagonist's struggle to adapt to the implicit rules of the patriarchal system she lives in.
The concepts of marriage, education and career as well as motherhood and domesticity are exclusively chosen to explain Esther's place in a society that has certain expectations and rules for women the heroine can no longer accept. Sylvia Plath's novel calls attention to the injustice of the treatment young women received at that time and shows the destructive effects of her era on women who refused to conform to ideals and rules made by the patriarchal system.
The main part of this thesis examines how the novel presents the oppressive system of 1950's America in which the heroine has to live in. With "The Bell Jar", Plath provides insight into 1950's America and underlines several issues regarding femininity. She demonstrates these issues with several characters that are either challenging or upholding the system, with character relationships or with medical institutions that "stand as an emblem for women's oppression". Thus, the focus will be on analyzing the instruments and devices Plath uses to shed light on the inequality women experienced at that time.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Feminist Theories
2.1 Comparison Marriage
2.2 Comparison Education/ Career
2.3 Comparison Domesticity/ Motherhood
3. The Bell Jar
3.1 Role models
3.2 Fake Identities
3.3 Relation to Men and Sexuality
3.4 Motherhood
4. The Symbol of the Fig-Tree
4.1 Apparent opportunities for women in the 1950´s
5. Conclusion
Thesis Objective & Topics
This thesis examines the representation of female oppression in 1950s America through an analysis of Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar, contextualized by the feminist theories of Margaret Fuller and Betty Friedan. The study explores how societal expectations, traditional gender roles, and the patriarchal structure contribute to the protagonist's identity crisis and mental health struggles.
- Comparison of feminist theories (Fuller and Friedan) regarding marriage, education, and domesticity.
- Analysis of Esther Greenwood’s struggle for independence against 1950s societal norms.
- Investigation of the influence of role models and the creation of fake identities as a coping mechanism.
- Deconstruction of gender performance and the symbolic meaning of the "bell jar" and the "fig-tree."
Excerpt from the Book
The Symbol of the Fig-Tree
As mentioned before, Plath´s heroine is not able to choose a certain way of life, only seeing the opportunities she would miss by choosing one way of living. The fig-tree symbolizes Esther´s choices in life as well as her inability to decide between them, in a manner of speaking to climb up a branch of the tree and to pick a particular fruit. When Esther is on her date with Constantin at the UN-building she has a vision of her life branching out like a green fig-tree (Plath 81). She imagines that each fig represents a different set of opportunities:
One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and off-beat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above there figs were many more figs I couldn´t quite make out.” (Plath 81)
As her description of the figs make clear, the problem is not that she lacks choices bur rather her “lack of identity” that is responsible for her inability to pick any of these figs (Holbrook 77). Since she is not sure who she is and who she wants to be it is impossible for her to come to a decision. What made it particularly difficult for her is the fact that if she makes her decision in favor of one fig, she will lose all the others:
I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig-tree, starving to death, just because I couldn´t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to winkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet. (Plath 81)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the thesis's purpose, which is to analyze the oppressive systems of the 1950s in America through the lens of feminist theories and Sylvia Plath’s novel.
2. Feminist Theories: This section compares the ideas of Margaret Fuller and Betty Friedan, focusing on how their critiques of marriage, education, and domesticity provide a framework for understanding female oppression.
3. The Bell Jar: This chapter investigates how the protagonist, Esther Greenwood, experiences the patriarchal structures of her time and struggles to find her identity amidst conflicting societal expectations.
4. The Symbol of the Fig-Tree: This chapter explores the fig-tree as a central metaphor for the protagonist’s inability to choose a single path in life due to her fear of losing other potential futures.
5. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the main findings, emphasizing that Plath’s novel serves as a powerful critique of the 1950s patriarchal system and the necessity for women to define their own identities.
Keywords
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, Feminism, Patriarchal System, Gender Roles, Identity Crisis, Margaret Fuller, Betty Friedan, 1950s America, Domesticity, Mental Illness, Female Oppression, Judith Butler, Performativity, Social Construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
This thesis explores the theme of female oppression in 1950s America, specifically examining how Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar reflects the restrictive gender roles and patriarchal expectations of that era.
Which theoretical frameworks are used?
The work utilizes the feminist theories of Margaret Fuller ("Woman in the nineteenth century") and Betty Friedan ("Feminine Mystique") to analyze the protagonist's social environment.
What is the core research question or objective?
The objective is to examine how female authors present their views of a gender-restrictive era and how Plath’s protagonist, Esther, struggles to navigate the implicit rules of a patriarchal society.
What scientific methodology is employed?
The thesis employs a comparative literary analysis, utilizing primary source text from Plath's novel and comparing it with key feminist theoretical texts, supported by secondary literary criticism.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body examines role models, the invention of fake identities, the protagonist's relationship to men and sexuality, and the symbolic significance of the fig-tree and the bell jar.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include feminism, patriarchal system, gender performance, identity, 1950s, and domesticity.
How does the author interpret the symbol of the "fig-tree"?
The fig-tree is interpreted as a representation of Esther's many potential life paths and her crippling inability to choose one for fear of losing all others, leading to a paralysis of identity.
What role does the psychiatric context play in the analysis?
The analysis treats the protagonist's mental illness as a direct consequence of her struggle to conform to socially constructed female ideals that contradict her own personality.
- Citation du texte
- Anonym (Auteur), 2019, Oppression of the Female in "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/538619
