... set in the 1950s America when the idea of adolescence was reasonably recent and society seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea of unrestricted individuality. Sylvia Plath explores these issues about individuality against society's expectations through the protagonist of The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood who has an identity crisis, which leads to a mental breakdown. Societal pressure and ... her inside society, which she is sick of and wishes to abandon. Esther's alienation from society could be seen as a way of self-protection from the strict and difficult world. Sylvia Plath uses th...

• Word Count: 743
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... being told the unanimous vocation for women is to be only a wife and mother. In The Bell Jar, first published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, in London in 1963, Sylvia Plath wrote a lightly disguised autobiographical novel that records her personal experiences through her heroine, Esther Greenwood. The predicament of women, especially talented, aspiring and vulnerable young women pitted against the ... oppressive expectations of others, is explored by Plath in her portrayal of Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar. The "bell jar" is a metaphor for the alienation, isolation and confinement...

• Word Count: 1473
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate