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In The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood has found herself in a struggle to become whole. Instead of looking to her inner-self to find her true identity, Esther looks to others in an attempt to form a stable personality. She often created a new persona to please others. These personality masks, which Esther creates, lead to conflicting identities, which then lead her to attempts at suicide. “ The central action of The Bell Jar is best described as the attempt to heal the fracture between Ester’s true inner self and her false-self system so that a real and viable identity can come into existence.” ( Perloff pg.508 ) This comes into play when Esther forces a smile at a photo shoot and breaks into tears. At that point her false self has dissolved and she must be brought back to life as a new and true person. Esther’s battle for a true self, is never won. Her whole life, Esther has done what others wanted her to do. She was always good for her mother, she was smart for her teachers, and she was fun for her friends. She was never able to create her own personality because she was busy trying to please everyone else. She hid her true self under masks for nearly nineteen years. Linda Wagner described Esther’s conflicting personalities as “ – the obliging daughter and the ungrateful woman, the successful writer and the immature student, the virginal girlfriend and the worldly lover.” ( Wagner pg. 55 & 56 ) Doreen, was Esther’s first victim of stolen identity, stated in The Bell Jar. Esther met Doreen during her stay in New York City, at the Four-Seasons hotel. Esther attached herself to Doreen for a part of the trip. “ I guess one of my troubles was Doreen. I’d never been around a girl like Doreen Before.” ( Plath pg.5 ) As Esther hung around Doreen, she slowly shaped a personality that was unknown even to herself.
Approximate Word count = 1280
Approximate Pages = 5.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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