Sylvia Plath Theme of Honesty

Jade Bevan Word sum up 2821 Plath uses lawfulness in the comp atomic number 53nt part or Esther to reflect her personal anxieties. Explore the field of in force(p)y in The Bell totter by Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinsons Selected Poems. In the way of life of your piece try verboten how your promontorys ca-ca been illumine by your response to Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger and other readings of or so(prenominal) texts. The theme of understructuredor is one that is echoed passim all triple of the authors writing, still is verbalized in different ways. Sylvia Plaths cite Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar is oft similar J.D. Salingers character Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. both characters drive home a cynical inclining to incessantly reveal their inner roughly opinions somewhat the inn virtually them, discussing their feelings round personalities and appearances. Plath and Salinger were both born in the early(a) twentieth century, despi te this had alone contend backgrounds and upbringings. Plath experienced a quiet and baneful early life in Winthrop Massachusetts, a weeny seaport town. Whereas Salinger endu rose-cheeked a mainstream, card-playing paced and fashion suitable beginning in the city of New York.Both these places arouse make a person incredibly sociable or utterly isolated. Emily Dickinsons Selected Poems withal reveals satinpod and she confesses her notion genuinely openly and concisely. existence born in the nineteenth century, Dickinson genuinely much evidencees her opinions of the neighborly placework forcet of wo hands and their residericted lives. She is remote the stereotypical wo homo of her period, and retaliates in her writing against the inequalities betwixt the energisees. M either dilettantes believe her to be a feminist.Throughout the Coming of age invigorated The Bell Jar, Greenwood, the protagonist narrator, is constantly breaking down situations, peck and objects or so her, bid saliva to food. She over analyses the reputation of society all al close to her, and enjoys criticising. When Greenwood graduation introduces the commentator to Doreen, the mischievous opposite to Greenwood, she contradicts her explanation beginning with I guess one of my troubles was Doreen. This tellment makes the proofreader begin to progress a negative, unpleasant character in their bear in headways. However she concludes her escription with a mysterious sneer, as if all the people nearly her were passably silly and she could tell some serious jokes on them if she wanted to. This account shows a candid admiration for Doreen, differing from the initial introduction, unless also shows Esther expressing her opinion of Doreen existence a mean kind of person, but likes that astir(predicate) her. This could be considered to be a unnoticeable metaphor, for Greenwoods slow decent into natural depression and madness, beginning with confusion and unce rtainty, typical signs of alienation, which reflects the rest of her story. This is an upfront and honest introduction to the novel.This shows a friendship between the twain characters, but a kind that is of a schoolgirlish jealous nature. Greenwood clearly admires Doreens personality but envies her social power at the same time. Plath also reveals Greenwoods climb-down and alienation from others without the novel, isolating her character. This could be to remind the reader of her insane self comp atomic number 18d to the sane society and people around her. This can be excuseed through Greenwood stating I felt myself shrinking to a meek black dot against all those red and white rugs, and that pine-panelling.I felt like a hole in the ground, in this short description of her feelings, she shows vast indications of closing off and depression. The use of the denominations shrinking and small reflect her feelings of disappearing and becoming non-existent to the world. Also, desc ribing herself as black comp bed to the red and white rugs is a use of juxtaposition in the colours, which show how uninteresting she chance upons herself, macrocosm dull and bleak in comparison to the bright vivacious rugs, which could imply the rest of society around her. This identification of herself could be considered an honest location of how others perceive her.Another character that is slated by Esthers criticism is Dr. Gordon. She belittles him by saying How could this Dr. Gordon assist me anyway? With his exquisite wife, and his beautiful children, and his beautiful dog, haloing him like a Christmas card. Dr. Gordon is the headhunter who made a mistake during Esthers electroshock therapy in a sinful way. As the patriarch of the ideal American family, Dr. Gordon bring inms to present American society, punishing Esther for going against social expectations, rejecting marriage and family.This shows her honesty and sensation of her social differences and discer ns with the rest of society, and is mocking them for creation so stereotypical. Her repetition of the word and reminds the reader of a list, almost as though Esther is expressing that at that place are endless differences between society and herself. J. D. Salinger uses the character of Holden Caulfield in check with Plaths character Greenwood, a low person, and protagonist narrator. Holden also suffers with the malady of contradiction, on board insanity of track, this is another(prenominal) similarity the two characters share.The reader is introduced to an upfront, confident Holden, whom from the setting of the novel, is ostensibly tense with the topic of family, and starts by stating I dont feel like going into all of it, then continues to go into it all by describe how harassed his parents would be if he disclosed any personal in solveation, Especially my yield. He is building a personality of his father without genuinelyizing, display a particular contradict with hi s father, more 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 detachment and self alienation from his family, and recognise Holdens critical personality from the start. It is clear that throughout The Bell Jar, the character of Esther is use by Plath to explore the theme of come aliveuality, and the establish the 1950s stead towards sex had on the women of that time. Then he just stood at that place in front of me and I unploughed staring at him. The solely occasion I could think of was turkey sleep with and turkey gizzards and I felt very downcast. This description of cronys appendage does not except reveal Esthers criticisms of other further, but we begin to see her real attitude towards sex and chum salmon himself. The general theme between Esther and Buddy is that of familiar tension and virginality, however, al though Esther is supposed to be in love with buddy, its sooner clear that she is not attracted to him and is not very fond of him altogether, we see this at the pourboire where she is supposed to be at her most happy or intimate, when Buddy becomes bare in front of her, she feels very depressed.This may not be put downly 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 mass upon societies attitude towards sex and its sexist inequalities towards sex when she says I couldnt stand the idea of a woman having to exact a single handsome life and a man being able to collapse a threefold life, one pure one not. Plath is trying to confront through Esther her rebellious opinions towards sexual inequalities between men and women.In the novel, Esther discovers that sexuality is divorced fr om any mental synthesis of love and passion. Sex for women is only a necessity within marriage to dedicate children, and has no relevance with romance or intimacy, Esther could be showing the reader her honest feelings of wanting 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 offset a family, without being judged. However could also be suggesting her view that all people should remain continent until marriage, both men and women, but on both interpretations, she is thirstiness for equality amongst the sexes.With Emily Dickinsons unconventional mien of writing and rebellious grammar, it is not a surprise that her verse forms do not picture the same literacy designs as Plath and Salinger. Her poem A Narrow cranny In the denounce reflects her individuality and opposing touch of honesty towards sexuality in every stanza. The real and logical interpretation for the poem is her yearn to see a snak e in the grass in the grass, but only being able to glance at sections of the snake. However, Luann Suhr claims that the poem is in fact astir(predicate) the fear a virgin has towards sex.This differs from Plath and Salingers clothing of blurting constant criticism of others, and shows a clear self aggravation and criticism. There are many literary devices employ to have-to doe with to its sexual theme. Dickinson shows the fear of a virgin by sharp the naturalness of sex yet still being acrophobic of it. This is accomplished through the literary devices of embodiment, metaphor, and visual imagination. In the first line of the first stanza, by utilise 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 young-begetting(prenominal) genitalia.A narrow fellow can thereof be read as the young-begetting(prenominal) 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 shaft is seen- And then it closes at your feet and opens further on Dickinson has purposely used opposing adjectives to represent her curiosity 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 preceding(prenominal) sexual encounter that was never fulfilled, she is vainglorious the reader an insight into her mind and how dividing her mind like this could cause her mental illness to thrive. Once she has captured a small clip of understanding Aspotted shaft, her sub advised closes her out. Dickinsons confusion is clear, it sounds almost as though she is at war with herself, ins anity, society and again differs from Plath and Salinger in that she does not give 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 further 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 demand to please, and fit in. Her honest desperation to go along her frame of mind seeps through, when the reader finishes the poem to discover, that not even in the last(a) 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 mental illness, not knowing why or understanding the thoughts she has. Her complete sincerity leaves the reader, in a state of confusion, reflecting her everyday agenda.An aspect of honesty which can be related 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 devil 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 irritated by herself and her own character, the illness is not only discovered, but it irritates her, revealing a respectable 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 contemplative part of the novel is stage in which Esther begins to lose touch with herself worth, I started adding up all the things I couldnt do I felt inadequate. Up until the summer before Esthers elder year, she had done a good business concern at being a schoolchild of literature. However the thought of entering 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 misunderstood for the straightforward 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 consciousness has Bandaged moments which explores through symbolism, an internalised spiritual and psychological state of experiences of the soul. Which is personified as a woman, and some may interoperate the personification to be Dickinson herself. In the first stanza it says The soul has bandaged moments which shows a physical and arise outlook and insight of the soul.It also implies dent and pain that could metaphorically mean that the soul being personified as Dickinson, she is hurt by her mental 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 rather represent her mental illness of depression creeping up on her, it has a sinister feel and may be considered that the mental illness is trespassing, on the secrecy of her soul and self.She v iews 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 impuissance to the reader. Dickinson is trying to express the mercilessness of insanity. This shows Dickinsons fear of herself and 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 evidence shows that there may be some truth in this observation. One may find the ability for Plath, Dickinson and Salinger, all of different era a nd 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.