Sylvia Plath Theme of Honesty

Jade Bevan Word count 2821 Plath uses ingenuousness in the character or Esther to reflect her personal anxieties. Explore the antecedent of h nonpareilsty in The Bell reel by Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinsons Selected Poems. In the course of your writing show how your ideas defecate been illuminated by your reply to Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and other readings of both texts. The motion of reality is one that is echoed throughout all three of the authors writing, scarcely is explicit in different ways. Sylvia Plaths character Esther Greenwood in The Bell disturb is much like J.D. Salingers character Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. Both characters start a cynical tendency to eternally reveal their inner about popular opinions active the club roughly them, discussing their whole stepings about personalities and looks. Plath and Salinger were both born in the early twentieth century, despite this had wholly opposing backgrounds and upbringings. Plat h have a go at itd a quiet and subtle early manner in Winthrop Massachusetts, a minuscular seaport town. Whereas Salinger endured a mainstream, fast paced and modish beginning in the city of New York.Both these mail services flowerpot make a person incredibly sociable or utterly isolated. Emily Dickinsons Selected Poems overly reveals in force(p)y and she confesses her depression actually openly and concisely. Being born in the nineteenth century, Dickinson often expresses her opinions of the cordial placement of women and their restricted lives. She is unlike the stereotypic fair sex of her era, and retaliates in her writing against the inequalities surrounded by the sexes. Many critics believe her to be a feminist.Throughout the Coming of age novel The Bell Jar, Greenwood, the athletic supporter narrator, is constantly breaking down situations, race and objects around her, like spitting to food. She over analyses the nature of society all around her, and enjoys cri ticising. When Greenwood first introduces the re horizoner to Doreen, the mischievous opposite to Greenwood, she contradicts her explanation beginning with I guess one of my troubles was Doreen. This statement makes the reader begin to build a negative, unpleasant character in their minds. However she concludes her escription with a mysterious sneer, as if all the race around her were pretty silly and she could tell any(prenominal) good jokes on them if she wanted to. This statement shows a clear admiration for Doreen, differing from the initial introduction, nonetheless likewise shows Esther expressing her opinion of Doreen creation a mean kind of person, yet likes that about her. This could be considered to be a hidden metaphor, for Greenwoods torpid decent into depression and madness, beginning with confusion and uncertainty, typical signs of aberration, which reflects the rest of her story. This is an upfront and honest introduction to the novel.This shows a friendship between the two characters, but a kind that is of a girlish jealous nature. Greenwood clearly admires Doreens personality but envies her social power at the alike(p) time. Plath as well as reveals Greenwoods detachment and alienation from others throughout the novel, isolating her character. This could be to prompt the reader of her insane egotism compared to the sane society and people around her. This can be explained through Greenwood stating I mat myself shrinking to a small black dot against all those red and lily-white rugs, and that pine-panelling.I felt like a hole in the ground, in this nearsighted description of her feelings, she shows vast indications of isolation and depression. The use of the treatments shrinking and small reflect her feelings of disappearing and becoming non-existent to the world. Also, describing herself as black compared to the red and white rugs is a use of juxtaposition in the colours, which show how uninteresting she finds herself, being dull and dark in comparison to the bright vibrant rugs, which could incriminate the rest of society around her. This identification of herself could be considered an honest view of how others perceive her.A nonher character that is slated by Esthers criticism is Dr. Gor tire. She belittles him by expression How could this Dr. Gordon help me anyway? With his beautiful wife, and his beautiful children, and his beautiful dog, haloing him like a Christmas card. Dr. Gordon is the psychiatrist who made a mistake during Esthers electroshock therapy therapy in a terrible way. As the patriarch of the ideal American family, Dr. Gordon chitchatms to bet American society, punishing Esther for going against social expectations, rejecting marriage and family.This shows her verity and awareness of her social differences and views with the rest of society, and is mocking them for being so stereotypical. Her repeat of the word and reminds the reader of a list, almost as though Esther is expres sing that on that point are endless differences between society and herself. J. D. Salinger uses the character of Holden Caulfield in match with Plaths character Greenwood, a first person, and protagonist narrator. Holden also suffers with the ailment of contradiction, alongside dementia of course, this is another(prenominal) similarity the two characters share.The reader is introduced to an upfront, sure-footed Holden, whom from the setting of the novel, is obviously tense with the topic of family, and starts by stating I dont feel like going into all of it, hence continues to go into it all by describe how annoyed his parents would be if he bring out any personal information, Especially my father. He is building a personality of his father without realizing, showing a particular conflict with his father, to a greater extent so than other members of the family. He is also separating himself from his family in that he would openly discuss their issues, whereas his family would not.Essentially, the readers receive an immediate separation and self alienation from his family, and sleep together Holdens critical personality from the start. It is clear that throughout The Bell Jar, the character of Esther is used by Plath to explore the theme of sexuality, and the effect the 1950s attitude towards sex had on the women of that time. Then he just stood at that place in front of me and I kept staring at him. The completely thing I could think of was turkey neck and turkey gizzards and I felt very depressed. This description of Buddys penis does not only reveal Esthers criticisms of other but, but we begin to catch her real attitude towards sex and Buddy himself. The general theme between Esther and Buddy is that of sexual tension and virginity, however, although Esther is supposed to be in tell apart with buddy, its quite clear that she is not attracted to him and is not very sore of him altogether, we see this at the point where she is supposed to be at her most happy or intimate, when Buddy becomes naked in front of her, she feels very depressed.This may not be completely down to the appearance of Buddys private parts, but may be Esthers attitude towards sex altogether, that she is only so eager to lose her virginity because it was the social norm, and wanted to be part of a great tradition. Esther shows her honest view upon societies attitude towards sex and its sexist inequalities towards sex when she says I couldnt stand the idea of a woman having to have a item-by-item pure life and a man being able to have a double life, one pure one not. Plath is trying to present through Esther her ill-affected opinions towards sexual inequalities between men and women.In the novel, Esther discovers that sexuality is split up from any expression of love and passion. Sex for women is only a want within marriage to have children, and has no relevance with romance or intimacy, Esther could be showing the reader her honest feelings of want ing to have a double life like the men of her era, and be able to experience sexual encounters out of passion and love, no just for starting a family, without being judged. However could also be suggesting her view that all people should remain celibate until marriage, both men and women, but on both interpretations, she is yearning for equality amongst the sexes.With Emily Dickinsons unconventional style of writing and rebellious grammar, it is not a surprise that her poems do not meet the same literacy concepts as Plath and Salinger. Her poem A Narrow fellow In the knock off reflects her individuality and opposing touch of honesty towards sexuality in either stanza. The literal and logical interpretation for the poem is her longing to see a ophidian in the grass, but only being able to shine at sections of the snake. However, Luann Suhr claims that the poem is in fact about the business organization a virgin has towards sex.This differs from Plath and Salingers habit of blurt ing constant criticism of others, and shows a clear self aggravation and criticism. There are many literary devices used to allude to its sexual theme. Dickinson shows the fear of a virgin by knowing the naturalness of sex yet still being alarmed of it. This is accomplished through the literary devices of prosopopoeia, metaphor, and ocular imagery. In the first declivity of the first stanza, by using the word fellow in her description of the snake she alludes to the snake in regards to man. In colloquial terms, the word snake is often used with regards to male genitalia.A narrow fellow can hence be read as the male penis. This could also relate to her opinion of men being sneaky like snakes towards the concept of sex, compared to the expectations of a woman to remain celibate, showing her honest neglect of the sexist attitude that society has to sexuality. The second stanza The grass divides as with a comb- Aspotted diaphysis is seen- And then it closes at your feet and opens further on Dickinson has purposely used opposing adjectives to represent her admiration about sex, how one moment she is captivated by the idea of losing her virginity, then the next her mind closes her imagination because she knows she must remain celibate until marriage. It could also represent a previous sexual encounter that was never fulfilled, she is enceinte the reader an insight into her mind and how dividing her mind like this could cause her psychical illness to thrive. Once she has captured a small snippet of understanding Aspotted shaft, her sub conscious closes her out. Dickinsons confusion is clear, it sounds almost as though she is at war with herself, insanity, society and again differs from Plath and Salinger in that she does not relinquish herself from society, but from her own emotions and desires.Despite this, she carries on fantasizing about this sexual encounter by saying sudden is Dickinson is stating that this male is quick to ejaculate. This can be furth er proved by the line before which says, you may have met him. The word met can be referring to the sexual meeting, and therefore puts a sexual connotation to the next line. When Dickinson reaches for this thing that scares her so much, it disappears. In the end of stanza four, she says, it wrinkled, and was gone. This is the visual imagery of a penis becoming flaccid.This man she is describing may represent her constant need to please, and fit in. Her honest desperation to communicate her skeleton in the closet of mind seeps through, when the reader finishes the poem to discover, that not even in the final exam stanza, does she reveal the root of the poem or what its meaning is, leaving readers to feel her confusion, to have a sense of what it would be like to suffer from noetic illness, not knowing why or understanding the thoughts she has. Her complete seriousness leaves the reader, in a state of confusion, reflecting her everyday agenda.An aspect of honesty which can be rela ted to all three authors is the honesty with the self and self reflection. Sylvia Plath uses the character of Esther Greenwood to portray her own personal attributes that she struggled to express in reality. We see this when greenwood describes her drink as wet an depressing, the very statement that a drink is depressing shows how irritating her character is, in the sense that she complains and reverts anything and everything she sees or touches to seem as depressing as she is.This could be Plath expressing through Greenwood that she is besotted by herself and her own character, the illness is not only discovered, but it irritates her, telltale(a) a full acknowledgement of its existence. This honest analysis in itself portrays that Greenwood sees herself as an irritation to society and this could explain her isolated behaviour, a fear of not being accepted. Another self reflective part of the novel is submit in which Esther begins to lose touch with herself worthy, I started add ing up all the things I couldnt do I felt inadequate. Up until the summer before Esthers senior year, she had done a good crease at being a student of literature. However the thought of introduction the real world terrifies her. The world she lives in seems to have no place for the literary ideals that she cherishes, which of course is her being pessimistic. This could be forcing her to doubt herself, and self worth towards the world, which may represent Plath attempting to portray Esther as feeling worthless and useless.Or, another view could be that Esther sees herself as being too complex and misconceive for the simple minds and dreams of the typical American girl of that era. Emily Dickinson shows honesty with the self and self reflection in the poem The soul has Bandaged moments which explores through symbolism, an internalised sacred and psychological state of experiences of the soul. Which is personified as a woman, and some may interoperate the personification to be Dic kinson herself. In the first stanza it says The soul has bandaged moments which shows a bodily and abstract outlook and insight of the soul.It also implies injury and pain that could metaphorically mean that the soul being personified as Dickinson, she is hurt by her psychogenic illness and attempts to heal herself when she feels some ghastly fright come up to stop and look at her. This could represent her soul searching and not being fond of what she finds in her mind, or it could alternatively represent her intellectual illness of depression creeping up on her, it has a sour feel and may be considered that the cordial illness is trespassing, on the concealing of her soul and self.She views this as a form of psychological assault and molester by using words in stanza two such as, caress and hovered-oer. These bring feelings of uncomfortability and helplessness to the reader. Dickinson is trying to express the mercilessness of insanity. This shows Dickinsons fear of herself an d her capability, some may view it as a panic towards her ever-growing stronger insanity and her ever-growing weaker free will against is. To conclude, a critic once claimed that Writers, who suffer with mental illness, are likely to revolve their writing around complete honesty of their mind.Which, in a sense, creates more emotional and believable connections with the reader, making the insanity seem normal, and allow the reader to feel an attachment with the author, some may consider this statement to be complete nonsense, however, the analytical manifest shows that there may be some truth in this observation. matchless may find the ability for Plath, Dickinson and Salinger, all of different era and lifestyle, to have managed to create such personalities and mind wondering scenarios with just the use of a single concept of honesty to be greatly admired.