In the book The Bell Jar, Doreen is a character that is introduced as this beautiful female that can get any guy that she wants. Doreen is from a society girls’ college down south (Plath, 4). Doreen is described to be this girl form the South that has her hair compared to cotton candy fluff and her blue eyes transparent like agate marbles (Plath, 4). When Doreen is funny and kind of witty but is also very mature for her age as she wears lace and nylon gowns to sleep and smoke cigarettes compared to the other girls that just wear regular cotton summer nighties (Plath, 5). Doreen’s primary job wasn’t talked about in the book but as in the things she values you can tell that she’s up for any adventure but when it comes to men she seems to be blinded. Doreen’s interest seems to be mostly men so far. Esther perceives Doreen as a good friend in the beginning of the book but later on when she notices that Doreen flakes out on the activities meant for the girls to be with some guy she realizes her friendship with her. Esther seems unhappy that Doreen treats her like that as in she only comes to her when she needs something or is bored. Doreen represents the opposite role for a woman that was looked up to at that time, even though she had the appearance of the role of being skinny, blonde and blue eyed but she seems to speak to many guys which was something I don’t believe woman did back then was speak to many guys. In Chapter 9, a guy does reference that Doreen and Esther as “sluts” (Plath 109). He is only judging Esther by the actions of Doreen, like if she friends with a slut she might be on herself.
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I would not say she is blind when it comes because men because the book portrayed her very experienced which why the comparison of her nightgown and the other’s. She is a bit careless about life, I would say because this scholarship was supposed to be an experience to determine what you want to be in life and she does not participate to hang out with a guy she just met.
Nice character analysis! In chapter 9, the man who calls Esther a slut is not just saying this because of Doreen. Esther identifies him as a “woman-hater,” and the implication is that if a woman acts in a way that he dislikes he will strike out at them with names and violence. He only sees what he wants to see when he looks at women–either a perfect virgin (like his cousin the nun) or a slut (like he calls Doreen and Esther). This is a common phenomenon that feminists and psychologists have called the “virgin/whore dichotomy” or the “Madonna/whore complex.” This is when men imagine that women can only be one of two things, a virgin or a whore, with no other options.