Esther’s journey through out the Bell jar
Outline
The bell jar shows how Esther’s life has changed throughout the year with different experiences. How she had struggled with second wave feminism and how she didn’t fit into her gender role.
Esther’s background
-Brought up in lower class
-From Boston
-Straight A student
-A girl with many dreams
-Wanting to have it all
-A writer/ Jay Cee’s office assistant
-Not wanting a husband and family
-Easily inspired by people and surroundings
-A liar about her personality
-Depressed
Crises she faces
-Doreen/ Hostel mates
-Lenny
-Wanting to be a publisher/Writer
-Buddy Willard
-Castantin
-Jay Cee
-The fig tree, where she doesn’t know rather to pick career or family because if she chooses one, she loses the rest.
-Marco/ assault, rape attempt
-Doctor Gordon
-Her mother
-Attempted suicide
-Mental hospital/ assylum
-Crazy assylum mates
-Shock treatments
-Fitting
-Sleeping with professor Irwin
What was expected of her?
-To get married
-Be a housewife
-Or choose a career
-Be pure
-Know shorthand
-Be educated
-Be comfortable with being a housewife
-being happy with you husband and your home
Changes with these experiences
-Learned to be happy with herself
-Satisfied after getting out of asylum
-Not having to be married to Buddy
-A positive aspect towards her life
Esther is facing all these struggles of not being able to have what she wants, to spend her life in the way she wants to spend it. Experiences change people, sometimes there are negative effects and sometimes there are positive. With her experiences, she went into a complete depression but fought it and ended up with being happy and positive.
Hi Nabeela, this is a good start! You mention several things in your thesis:
1. The bell jar shows how Esther’s life has changed throughout the year with different experiences
2. How she had struggled with second wave feminism
3. How she didn’t fit into her gender role.
Your first point is not very arguable. It is true that Esther had different experiences in the year. Everyone has experiences in a year, right? 🙂 I recommend removing this part from your thesis because it is a statement of fact/summary.
Your second point doesn’t yet make a claim. How *did* she struggle with 2nd wave feminism? Your answer to this question could become an argument. However, the book takes place in the early 1950s (before 2nd wave feminism really began), so it isn’t quite clear how she struggled with it. Work on refining this claim so that your position is clear and so it makes historical sense.
Your third point also doesn’t make a statement. Answer the question “how *does* Esther not fit into her gender role?” Whatever specific answer you have to this question can become a thesis.
The body paragraphs you have in the outline will become more focused once you have developed an argument about the text. Right now, “Ether’s background” and “Crises she faces” seem to simply describe the plot of the book. As you are writing your draft, I want you to keep in mind that this essay should be making an argument, *your* argument. Imagine that your reader would disagree with your thesis and each paragraph should be devoted to convincing them of your claims using analysis of the text and logical argumentation. If you stay focused on this goal, it will help you move beyond summary to analysis.
LW