Th The Bell Jar Analysis

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“Have dinner ready, prepare yourself, prepare the children, minimize all noise, be happy to see him, listen to him, make the evening his”, here is what young women learned at school in the 1950’s in America (Vanessa Martins Lamb). Women with the constant social pressure of being well dressed and being taught to have good etiquette is the training that most women have to go through in order to obtain the perfect housewife image till her marriage. The reader of this novel views it a way to harm the role of women and how they are viewed, in a male dominant society.
The novel set during the time where women were oppressed by the male dominant society to remain in her position of a housewife inside the “kitchen walls” and condemned to accept fighting all alone with the daily routine (“1950-1970”). However, the following years after the release of the novel the role of women in a male dominant society has changed, where women can voice their opinion, continue with their education and find a job that is tailored for them. Without women playing a role in society they will always be silenced and can’t question the male supremacy. …show more content…

Marriage being a key element of being a woman and a successful housewife whilst being pure. Esther Greenwood, the main character of the novel, goes through different psychological changes where there s a shift in her view of what makes a perfect housewife; innocence, purity. This idea is challenged within the text where it openly rejects traditional marriage and motherhood. It has also been challenged for it’s characters discussion of sexuality (Sheila). Where Esther she was beginning to lose control, feels the double sexual standard and finally what everyone does in her age is the continuous search for

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