First, The Mirror is applied by finding a reflection of yourself in the text. For me, this could apply to a variety of sections for Plath's "The Bell Jar," but for the purposes of this post, I'm going to narrow it down to just a couple passages.
"After Doreen left, I wondered why I couldn't go the whole way doing what I should any more. This made me sad and tired. Then I wondered why I couldn't go the whole way doing what I shouldn't, the way Doreen did, and this made me even sadder and more tired" (Plath 30).Esther Greenwood is the type of character I can relate with easily. There's something about obligations and the way they drain her that can be reflected easily within my life. Along with juggling school, and I'm a part of the EMU Forensics Team (speech and dramatic interpretation), which takes up a lot of my time. Between these two things, plus trying to keep some resemblance of a social life--and alone time--my life has become extremely hectic. At times, I stop and wonder the age-old question: WHY. Why am I constantly pushing myself to do these things when it would be so much easier to take some time off and get my life in order. Why am I not pushing myself to do more?
These two forces pulling me in opposite directions mirrors Esther's pull within "The Bell Jar." The pull between doing what's expected of her--and completely going against it--has left her in the middle, where she's not sure what to do anymore. I think this kind of struggle has touched, or will touch, every person's life at some point. Two conflicting thoughts or worlds at war is a very common metaphor, and is heavily prevalent within the world of "coming of age" novels.
Second, The Microscope is used by narrowing in on particular passages and breaking them apart in the context of the entire work. This is the most nit-picky lens, as it means completely dissecting a particular paragraph or section of the text.
"I made a decision about Doreen that night. I decided I would watch her and listen to what she said, but deep down I would have nothing at all to do with her. Deep down, I would be loyal to Betsy and her innocent friends. It was Betsy I resembled at heart" (Plath 22).This paragraph, found in the second chapter of the novel, marks a turning point in Esther's mindset. Earlier in the novel, she felt a connection to Doreen because she wanted to be like her--she wanted to have fun "like everybody else." Connecting herself to Doreen was a way for Esther to feel as though she belonged within the world she's currently in. However, once Doreen went out with Lenny Shepherd and came home extremely wasted, Esther was able to realize that the individual she had put her money in, so to speak, wasn't the person she thought she was.
The phrase "I would have nothing at all to do with her" states it best. Esther's decision to cut herself off emotionally from Doreen, yet still associate with her, fuels many of her decisions and actions throughout the novel. Also, the repetition of the phrases such as "deep down" and "at heart" speak to Esther's yearning to be a good person "deep down" or "at heart." The way she determines whether she is a good person or not leans on the idea of who she associates with, or "resemble[s] at heart." She decides that she wants to be loyal to "Betsy and her innocent friends" because she feels that being around this innocence will help her resemble "Betsy...at heart."
Third, The Telescope is used when one looks at the text in the wider perspective of the author, history, world history, humanity, etc.
"I raised my eyes then, and saw Doreen's head silhouetted against the paling window, her blonde hair lit at the tips from behind like a halo of gold. Her face was in shadow, so I couldn't make out her expression, but I felt a sort of expert tenderness flowing from the ends of her fingers. She might have been Betsy or my mother or a fern-scented nurse" (Plath 47).Although this is a small segment of the text--explaining how Esther sees Doreen while she's sick with food poisoning--it speaks volumes in a broader context. For one, we can look at this in terms of Plath's life in the 50's and feminism. Plath grew up in a time where women were seen as motherly, soft, comforting, and tender. This is easily reflected within this passage because Esther sees Doreen as a sort of angel ("...like a halo of gold...") come from above to nurse her back to health.
All of the adjectives used to describe Doreen within this passage are soft, much like how women were seen within the 1950's. Tenderness, mother, nurse, silhouetted, halo of gold... Each of these terms reflects the idea of femininity that Plath hoped she embodied during her time. Sure, she wanted to be a writer and to have time to herself, but Plath also hoped to be a feminine motherly figure. In this passage, Plath writes Doreen to be the woman she herself wishes to be--a figure of femininity who has "expert tenderness flowing from the ends of her fingers."
How do you view Plath's "The Bell Jar" within the context of these three literary lenses? Thoughts and comments welcome!!
You do a marvelous job applying the three lenses or perspectives. Focusing on Doreen as one of the figures in the early part of the novel that functions as a sort of "foil" or mirror for Esther is really productive. You notice how important other people, in particular other young women, are for Esther's sense of self, when you write:
ReplyDelete"The way she determines whether she is a good person or not leans on the idea of who she associates with, or 'resemble[s] at heart.'"
This makes me think of Joan in part three of the novel. It seems to me that even from a structural point of view, Joan has to disappear, the bond with Joan has to be broken, personally and in terms of plot, for Esther to move forward--or to return to "normal." Throughout the novel, Esther seeks out, or finds herself in, the company of girls who challenge the bounds of what's considered "normal"--Doreen is a "bad girl," i.e. sexually active, cynical, etc.; Joan is a lesbian, a "horsey" woman. In the end, Esther leaves both girls behind although she has seems to be emotionally linked to them. This makes me wonder: how important is being "normal," i.e. a "good girl" according to the conventions of her society, for Esther?