Gender Roles In The Bell Jar - 1785 Words

The world can be a rather difficult place. From the physical and mental illnesses, poverty, and the abundance of different cultures, ethnicities, languages,and races, how can it not be a difficult place? With the great level of complication in the human life, it is normal to want to feel secure and follow a type of lifestyle. With a difficult world, it is also easy to have the need to feel powerful, and to do that, one will need to make others feel inferior. The terms ‘superiority’ and ‘inferiority’ are seen ubiquitously in terms of gender. A man is often paired off with words such as ‘strength’ and ‘authority’, all things great and superior. Whereas a woman would usually be compared to words such as ‘dependent’ and ‘small’, all things†¦show more content†¦This clearly shows the traditional gender roles because it was made clear that Buddy, a male, was born with the capability to read people, givi ng him more power. Another simile was used to describe Buddy’s personality. As Esther began to have second thoughts about not going down the slope, Buddy saw this and â€Å"his arms chopped the air like khaki windmills†. The choice of words negatively impacts Buddy’s personality. Buddy was just persuading her to come down with hand motions but through the word choices such as ‘chopped’ and ‘windmills’ it made the action seem more harsh and mechanical. ‘Chopped’ refers to cutting down on something with extreme and quick force. This translates that Buddy’s personality was on the extreme side and quite forceful. This again shows the traditional gender roles as Buddy is described as a forceful person, which can be referring to both strength in the physical aspect and strength in persuasiveness. Buddy was also compared to the â€Å" split-rail fence behind him-- numb, brown and inconsequential.† All the adjecti ves and the noun used to describe Buddy were negative. ‘Split’ is rarely used positively because it explains a sense of multiple pieces and not just one whole. To be ‘numb’ is to not have any sense towards any stimulation or emotion, which in this case would mean that Buddy is a dispassionate being. The last term of ‘inconsequential’, meaning ‘without significance’ shows how un-valued Buddy’s characterShow MoreRelatedGender Double Role In The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath1405 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the story â€Å"The Bell Jar† by Sylvia Plath, Esther’s mental health deteriorates overtime due to various factors in her social environment such as double standards. The novel begins with Esther’s internship at the Ladies’ Day magazine in New York City. Despite living the life every girl wishes to live, Esther is dejected and feels disengaged with the environment around her; thus resulting in the beginning of an identity crisis. Through the events of the story, gender double roles in the areas of educationRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Double Standard1531 Words   |  7 PagesStandard Gender roles/ role playing Abuse of feminine creative powers The domestic ideal and symbolism of the bell jar The ironic coming of age and rebirth Color symbolism Manipulation between â€Å"personal experience† and variety forms of â€Å"artifice† Introduction Controversy over women s place in society and feminism has long been lurking as early as the 14th century. 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It is a story about a girl who under goes many different traumatic life events that had the destiny to make or break her. The things she used to enjoy in life are no longer bringing joy to her life. She can’t find anything that gives her importance of the will to go on. The Bell Jar is a story that will take you on a journey with a girl who lets the gender roles of 1950s get the best of her. She lets people tell her what she can andRead MoreThe Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath2030 Words   |  9 PagesThe Bell Jar is a novel written in, 1963 written by Sylvia Plath. It is a story about a girl who under goes many traumatic life events that had the destiny to make or break her. The things she used to enjoy in life are no longer bringing joy to her life. She can’t find anything that gives her the will to go on. The Bell Jar is a story that will take reader on a journey with a girl who lets the gender roles of 1950s get the best of her. She lets people tell her what she can and cannot do and losesRead MoreCompare the Ways Plath and Kesey Present Psychological Disorders and ‘Minds Under Stress’ in the Bell Jar and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest?3284 Words   |  14 Page s‘One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and ‘The Bell Jar’ can be linked considerably. Both the novels in question are products of the author’s own experiences and the specific culture in which they were written. They both draw upon similar events throughout, yet the philosophy and reason behind them is often significantly contrasting. However, it cannot be argued that their presentation of psychological disorder and the pressure that it forces on the mind are intrinsically linked due to the circumstancesRead MoreThe Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath1917 Words   |  8 PagesSylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar explores the life of nineteen-year old Esther Greenwood, an English major who is rather disdainful toward the 1950’s society she lives in. Esther does not desire to be controlled by society’s gender-based constraints. To add on, Esther feels greatly oppressed by the patriarchal framework constructed. The existence of the â€Å"authentic self† is absent in Esther’s life as she embarks on the search for her identity. Despite her successes in school, Esther slowly begins to descend