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Feliz Susanna Arana
Professor Anderson
English 354
23 November 2014
The Bell Jar: The Female Struggle in Relation to Identity
Sylvia Plath’s novel, The Bell Jar, comments on the female struggle in regards to
sexuality, social status, and identity, through Esther Greenwood’s experiences toward
understanding her own identity, serving as a universal representation of women of the 1950s as
well as modern day women. Esther is a prime example of a young woman coming into her own
and trying to understand the world around her, a world largely dominated by men, social
institutions and expects, and stigmas. Plath’s commentary holds truth to the idea that women are
confined and unable to freely express themselves without judgment.
Many of Esther’s life experiences contribute to her lack of understanding regarding her
own identity, sexuality, and place in society. Esther has a nearly non-existent relationship with
her parental figures in that her father died when she was quite young and she cannot relate to her
mother, thus creating difficulty for Esther to relate to others effectively. Although this situation
may not be the case for all women, it does hold relevancy in that many, if not all, women face
difficulty with identity at a young age and carry on the struggle into their adult lives.
Esther’s lack of a relationship with her father puts a strain on her interactions with men,
thus causing anxiety with the topic of sexuality. Part of the novel has to do with Esther
discovering and realizing her sexuality as she decides she must lose her virginity to someone.
She additionally finds herself baffled when she discovers that Buddy Willard is no longer a

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virgin and has had sex with a waitress; Esther reflects and remarks; “Ever since Buddy Willard
had told me about that waitress I had been thinking I ought to go out and sleep with somebody
myself” (92). This is one major instance were Esther begins to question sexuality and the
difference between male sexuality and female sexuality, discovering the issue of the double-
standard. In chapter seven, Esther is given an article called “In Defense of Chastity” which
comments on marriage and sex. Esther states that one point of the article is that men “would try
to persuade a girl to have sex and say they would marry her later, but as soon as she gave in, they
would lose all respect for her” (95). This presents the notion that a man may do what he pleases
sexually, but a woman who does the same loses her agency and social status. A woman does not
control how she is perceived in relation to her sexuality. The claim can be made that perhaps a
woman’s body is not her own but rather belongs to society, which can lead us to understand why
a woman cannot establish this part of her identity because it does not belong to her.
Plath presents the clear gender separation between men and women as it relates to
Esther’s understanding of her status in a society dominated by men. Esther has difficulty
understanding male dominance entirely, perhaps due to her father being absent from her life.
This is apparent when Esther meets Marco, deeming him a “woman-hater” who is physically
aggressive and forces his dominance upon Esther. Esther says that she “began to see why
woman-haters could make such fools of women” and that these sort of men were “invulnerable
and chock-full of power” (127). Plath presents male dominance, both metaphorical and literal in
this case, as a threatening force that leaves women to believe that they are below that of men.
Esther’s experience with Marco represents a woman’s struggle to move upward past this
dominance into a greater social status.

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As the novel progresses, we see Esther developing control of her sexuality, gaining back
agency, and moving towards sexual liberation. Esther visits a doctor to be fitted for a diaphragm
and believes that she is “‘climbing to freedom, freedom from fear, freedom from marrying the
wrong person, like Buddy Willard, just because of sex’” (266). At this time, methods of birth
control were new and prior to this, the only way a woman could guarantee she would not become
pregnant was through abstinence. Esther’s decision to obtain birth control represents female
liberation in being able to express, protect, and control ones sexuality as she pleases. Despite this
freedom, Esther, or any woman of this time, cannot openly disclose to society that she takes such
measures with her sexuality because of stigma surrounding it, which forces her to continue to be
secretive with her actions.
Esther struggles to decide what she wants out of life and what path she wishes to go
down, which is clear when she discusses the fig tree and says that from every branch “a
wonderful future beckoned and winked” (90). She goes on to add that each fig represented
marriage, people in her life, lovers, and writers and that there “were many more figs I [she]
couldn’t quite make out” (91). Esther has some sense of direction but is guided by traditional
values, such as marriage and love. This quotation suggests that Esther isn’t quite sure what her
path in life is and that she recognizes that the “figs” represent her choices but she is unable to
visualize where these choices will lead her. Though decision-making in regards to life choices is
not specific to men or women, we can clearly see the influence it has on women when it is mixed
with social expectations.
Plath demonstrates the pressure upon women to be feminine and obedient of
expectations. At the end of chapter ten, Esther takes parts of her wardrobe and tosses them away;
“Piece by piece, I fed my wardrobe to the night wind, and flutteringly, like a loved one’s ashes,

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the gray scraps were ferried off, to settle here, there, exactly where I would never know, in the
dark heart of New York” (132). Esther rids herself of all of her clothes from her time at Ladies’
Day, representing her abandoning an overly feminine culture that is expected of women. In
addition, Esther’s mother often suggests paths traditionally taken by women and while Esther
tries to decide on any path, she states, “But I didn’t know shorthand, so what could I do? I could
be a waitress or a typist. But I couldn’t stand the idea of being either one” (148). Esther comes to
the understanding that she is limited in what career paths she can pursue that will make her
somewhat successful in society. This directly relates to women’s social status in that they are
discouraged from pursuing certain lifestyles, ultimately barring them from gaining upward
mobility.
Taking Esther’s experiences into account shows the commentary on the female struggle
that Plath is expressing. The consequence for Esther undergoing this struggle is her unstable
mental health. Throughout the novel it is clear that Esther is mentally unstable and has difficulty
coping with decision-making and the forces surrounding her. This is partly due to the fact that
she had to come to an understanding about the different aspects that make up her identity all at
once. After being institutionalized Esther faces even more stigma and in chapter twenty just
before Esther exits the institution, Buddy visits her and states “I wonder who you’ll marry now,
Esther” (286). This remark expresses the stigma around mental health while also commenting on
the idea that women need to be “perfect” for a man to marry them. Buddy sees Esther as some
sort of damaged good that is no longer pure or appealing, relating not only to mental health, but
to anything that a woman does that counters tradition or the expected image she is to be.
The entirely negative consequence of the female struggle is displayed through Joan
Gilling. Joan is not much different from Esther and the two share the same mental instabilities,

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though the main difference is that Joan seems to be a lesbian. Immediately after Esther finds
Joan and DeeDee together, Joan says to Esther “I like you”, which we can assume is meant
sexually (263). Although we do not know too much about Joan’s journey in relation to the
female struggle, it is clear that she had to work through her sexuality. Joan is institutionalized as
well and despite looking as if she has gotten better, she commits suicide. This is the extreme
result of a woman who faces the struggle of being a woman in society and cannot freely express
her true identity to the world.
By the end of the novel, we can assume that Esther has come to terms with her own
identity and her place in society. The language seems somewhat promising and as Esther is
facing the institutions board of doctors to be analyzed she states that “The eyes and the faces all
turned themselves toward me, and guiding myself by them, as by a magical thread, I stepped into
the room” (290). There is a sort of confidence in this passage, and although Esther has positivity
about her, she is well aware of the analysis that the doctors will place on her. The doctors and
their analysis of Esther, serves as a representation of society placing judgment on women and
constantly looking at them through a microscope, even if the women are content with their
identities.
The Bell Jar discusses the female struggle and the many aspects of it, again, through
experiences and discoveries made by a young woman growing into adulthood and coming to
personal discovery about her own identity. Esther’s experiences speak to women and society in
general, exemplifying the fact that women must be encouraged to discover themselves freely.
Sylvia Plath has created commentary on society’s treatment of women and the extreme
consequences that may result from a woman not being able to discover her own true identity.