Running head: I REMEMBER EVERYTHING 1

I remember everything", 'The Bell Jar,' Sylvia Plath.

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"I remember everything," Esther says. There are various reasons for novels as to why

Esther chooses to say so. Most importantly, her experience throughout the novel confirms that

she has remarkable memories that she chooses to remember. It is essential to consider that Esther

tends to go through various depressive and general dysphoria in that her ideas do not seem to

matter in society. Society's expectations of how a woman should be are weirdly the opposite of

Esther's desires. Notably, Esther wants to study and focus on her career, but she is disturbed by

society's limitations concerning how women should behave in society.

Esther seems to have planned her life uniquely, the opposite of what society expects from

her. Esther is also seen to be depressed because she feels that nothing lives to her expectations

throughout her entire life, ever since she was young. She remembers that her life has been

coupled with various challenges that she has forever been struggling to overcome. Additionally,

she is continuously faced with the limitations that society imposes. She, therefore, feels confined

by the rules that society has put in place. The conflict between Esther and society creates

memories that she reminisces at the end of the day. Esther undergoes depression due to the

conflict between what she desires and what society expects of her.

The author of the novel 'The Bell Jar,' Sylvia Plath, gives significant insights into the

issues surrounding women's role in society is concerned. The societal norms significantly affect

her as a young woman in pursuit of her dreams to a point where she contemplates suicide. She

has an internship in a magazine company for the summer. She resonates with suicide due to

various reasons, more so the burden of the gender inequality present in society. She is expected

of the community to behave traditionally, playing the woman roles dictated by society and the

individuals in her life. However, she feels that this is not her way and feels constrained to fit into

such an image.
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Esther has a lot that disturbs her in the mind that she gets to ponder heavily at the end of

the novel. For instance, as a young woman in the early 1950s, she encounters significant

encounters that have a close connection to women's degradation in society (plath, 1963). As a

young woman, Esther is considered a college student that is quite intelligent to the point that she

even goes to work as a guest editor at the New York magazine. Therefore, she goes to a woman's

hotel, where she gets to enjoy several events hosted by the magazine. This moment happens to be

a milestone because society had bound her with several restrictions even though she had always

wanted to feel free, just like others like Doreen. Notably, Doreen is seen as a character that

wanted to break all rules. Despite the predetermined societal norms. In most cases, Esther is seen

to be in a position whereby she gets worried about society's expectations that involve

expectations of virginity and maternity. Therefore, unlike the same situation as that of men, she

finds herself convicted to the societal expectations that, in most cases, hinder her from living her

life how she desires.

Notably, deep down, Esther desires to enjoy herself, although she is seen to be numb.

This is mainly because she is stuck between wanting to live her life to the fullest and breaking all

rules to live life how she desires, just like her friend Doreen. Even though she knows what is

expected of her by society, she still wants to be herself. The society holds that young women

should be virgins and entail wifeliness. It is essential to consider that even though she desires to

have a bright future in which the societal expectations are absent, she remains confused about

what route to take. Therefore, double standards affected her, bearing in mind that she was a

young woman that was an aspirant concerning her future.

How females lived in the 1950s was complex and disturbing as far as equality is

concerned. For instance, considering Esther, there is a point whereby she is noticed, reflecting on
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the differences that exist between men and women in society. She also ponders about the social

roles and the social expectations required for both men and women. It is essential to consider

that most of the reflections that she has revolved around sex and career. As such, women are

disadvantaged when it comes to sex and occupation. On the other side, men are exempted from

the various confinements that women encounter in society, especially those related to equality.

Esther's reflection is seen throughout the novel as she interacts with other women who are also

characters in the text. Most importantly, her interaction with both Doreen and Betsy presents

different stances concerning the notion of womanhood.

Esther is a character in the novel that despises the idea of impurity and purity, whereby

women are required to remain virgins until the point when they get married. It is seen in the text

that the society insists that women ought to remain virgins, a requirement that is only imposed on

women, whereas there is no restriction whatsoever placed on men. On the other side, unfair

treatment is seen whereby boys are given sexual freedom. This idea angers Esther in that

inequality is not a secret in society. There are women in the novel that have been consumed by

social expectations. The female characters that anger Esther in the text include her mother, Mrs.

Willard, and Betsy. These characters embrace the social inequalities, and as such, they try to

enforce them on Esther. Such characters insist on reminding Esther about chastity and sexism.

However, other characters in the text, such as Doreen, reject social inequalities, thereby giving

Esther better alternatives or reasoning.

In conclusion, Esther tends to lead a life that is disadvantaged throughout her life. Society

does not seem to notice that she has objectives that she wants to achieve at the end of the day.

She has desires that she looks forward to achieving. However, society's expectations greatly

hinder her quest to be the person that she desires, more so in her career. She is often disturbed by
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the fact that men are considered to be of significant importance compared to women. Therefore,

the regulations that are put in place mostly affect women. Moreover, in the 1950s, the societal

expectations about men and women were unequal. Society expects women to be homemakers,

wives as well as mothers. Women are also expected to devote their energies to serving a family.

Instead of pursuing their dreams, women are expected to be concerned with families, whereas

men pursue their careers. Esther finds these social expectations unfair, and she tries to reject

them in any way possible. Therefore, at the end of the novel, she finds herself saying that she

remembers bout everything.

Work Cited

Plath, S. The Bell Jar. New York: Harper & Row. 1963.