Undergraduate thesis discusses Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar. The goal of this thesis is to unravel the defining qualities of the bell jar symbol and connect them to the female standing in the 50s, specifically in the United States of America. This thesis starts with an explanation of the bell jar as a symbol and continues on with analysing the problems it embodies. The start of the body first focuses on women’s lives in the 1950s, this chapter serves as a societal and historical background for the novel. The following section addresses the issue of sexuality, how it is perceived in the novel and the relationship the protagonist, Esther, has with it. This is then succeeded by a chapter dedicated to marriage and family, where I delve in to the expectations that are thrown onto women when it comes to matrimony and motherhood. For my final topic I chose medicine as the main subject, which I then further divided into three sections, those being gynaecology, contraception, and psychiatry. I came to the conclusion that hiding under Esthers’ bell jar are internal conflicts and external pressures stemming from a patriarchal society, which leads Esther to a sense of confinement, alienation, and depression.
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