The role that race play in this text to me is that it really did not play a big part in this story. I only recall race playing a part and even then it was a small one. We had Esther in the private hospital where she encounter an African American staff member who she refers to as “the Negro.” During this scene we do not see any political correctness from Esther part. She describes the helper as “Negro” instead of “African American” or “Black” which is understandable due the time the story is told is from the 1950’s. This text does not ignore race it’s just that it’s not that big of concern in this story. Though the story we follow Esther and we see characters the way she see them and her life though her eyes. In the text she does exhibit her any awareness of her privileged racial status. She does this by her way of living we see that compare to the way most people would live she and the other girls in the home were spoiled. She is not that wealth compared to those in the home but to the outside world it would look like that with all the free stuff she received over time. During her time in the asylum she had encounter non-white people and there and we saw how she reacted to it. In her time at the asylum we see her privileged racial status. When it is time to eat Esther decides to rise from the table, passing round to the side where the nurse couldn’t see her below the waist, and behind the Negro who was at the time doing his job which is clearing the dirty plates and draw her foot back and gave him a sharp, hard kick on the calf of the leg. His response was naturally which was leaping away with a yelp and rolling his eyes at her. He told Esther “You shouldn’t of done that, you shouldn’t, you really shouldn’t.”( Pg. 96) but her response was that of someone who knew the difference in power “That’s what you get,”( Pg. 96) . That shows us that in her mind set she had to go through all that trouble of hiding from the nurse just to kick someone because she knew nothing would happen from it she is of a higher class than high therefore she is above him and acts like it. In the article “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” Lorde writes “Refusing to recognize difference make it impossible to see the different problems and pitfalls facing us as women”. If everyone does not look at other people’s perspective then we will forever be in an endless cycle that will keep going. Esther is many things but she is also someone like others during this time look down on people. Esther is not only white but also woman and for her to use her status to hurt someone doing their job is wrong. Though the story she had mostly keep her dislike to herself but this time she decide to get physical and that is just wrong.

Race is not the main focus of the novel but race isn’t ignored completely. Esther doesn’t disclose her racial status but how she describes everyone else does show that it is based on white/ Caucasian people. Male or female, everyone is described to have white features, as Esther states about Doreen’s “… cotton candy fluff hair round her head and blue eyes like transparent agate marbles…” (Plath, 4). A person of color cannot have what Doreen has. Other than that she describes Hilda as “… six feet tall, with huge, slanted green eyes and thick red lips and a vacant expression.” (Plath, 28). “…Mr. Willard’s face– the silver hair in its boyish crewcut, the clear blue eyes, the pink cheeks,…” (Plath, 87). These are only a few but everyone Easter talks about has these white features and skin color.

Esther explained everyone’s looks in a nice manner until a “Negro” (Plath, 180) came instead of a white male nurse. The way she describes him, it seems like he’s a kid because he’s goofing around with whatever he’s told to do. I believe she looks down at him because he is black and in 1950 it was still rare for an African American to actually work with white society. She kicks him on his leg and hurts him. It could be because she’s in an asylum and is being treated or it could be because he’s annoying her and calling her “Miss Mucky-Muck,” (Plath, 181) she doesn’t make it clear why she doesn’t like him.

In “Age, Race, Class, and Sex” there are all these topics that women faced back then. Lords is a forty nine year old black lesbian feminist who’s is talking about how the people do not fit into society roles are suppose to teach the ones that do fit. She talks about the differences of race, “Certainly there are real differences between us of race, age, and sex. But it is not those difference between us that are separating us. It is rather our refusal to recognize those differences…” (Lorde, 115). Maybe that’s what it was, Esther was so used to of seeing white and rich society around her that when she saw someone different, she didn’t take him as a human or as a part of their society. But rather as a slave, because he was working there with the nurse.

My interpretation of how I think Esther feels regarding African American’s is conflicted. My feelings regarding this matter go as follows: Esther is heavily sedated, and under the influence of psych medication, in which is distorting her rational mindset and has her acting irrationally. Secondly, there is know mention of people of color in this book, with the exception of this interaction with this black man in the asylum.

Now with that being said, I can translate her behavior as her not knowing how to interact with African American’s due to fact their presence is non-existing her daily routines of life, or I can see if from another perspective, and come to the conclusion this behavior is inherited and been instilled in her upbringing. She may have been taught that the black race does not deserve her respect, and that is why mistreated the man. Regardless, to the fact all he was trying to do was help her, all she saw was that he was a Negro.

The period these events take place where a dark time for black people even though it was the late 50’s. African American’s endured server and demoralizing practices of systematic racism.  The passage is so short in reference to her dealing with someone outside of her race, that it is somewhat premature to make an assumption on what she was actually thinking. Esther is dealing with so many of her demons that I believe at that time in her life anyone could have been subjected to unstable behavior from her. I would really have to read about her engaging with another African American to come to a valid assessment of how she feels about race.

While reading the book “The Bell Jar” I was starting to grow a bit of love for Esther. She was an interesting character, someone whom I couldn’t quite figure out, she was very mysterious to me. I believe this is one of the main reasons why I was very interested in reading this book. However, in chapter fourteen my feelings toward her takes a turn as she calls a boy with color a “negro.” Now as we all now Esther is smart and she is also a writer, so for her to discriminate with such powerful language makes me rethink her whole personality/characteristic. I now believe she is very close minded and is afraid to have a mind of her own, in other words she likes to fit in and deep down her identity makes her uncomfortable and that is the reason why she is crazy and sits in the psychotic home today.

In this book their lye’s a HUGE issue of race that is not brought to the attention of readers, until the end. The issue is not discussed throughout the book and however the narrator dismisses it with a simple paragraph. Esther do exhibit awareness of her privileged racial status and decides to act upon it by being disrespectful. As intellectual thinkers we are able to know that if this black male is able to work in the hospital their were no longer division between the Whites and the Blacks. People of color was free of hostage. However, I can tell Esther felt somewhat sorry for the boy as she tried to make no eye contact while he stepped into the room because of his skin color, but then later when she realized he was just a “silly” worker and not someone she should feel pity for she kicks him on the calf of his leg and looks directly in his eye stating, “that’s what you get” (Pdf. Pg. 96) She kicks him because she felt he was “testing” her and I believe if this boy was a white boy she wouldn’t have done that and she would have just held her anger in by lying in bed all day. This right here is pure ignorance because as stated in the beginning of the book Esther is very smart and receives scholarships from schools that wish to have her in it. She is from the low class society which doesn’t even make her inferior so why is it that she condoned to this behavior? Because Esther is aware of her white privilege and wants readers to know.

In the article “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” Lorde states, “As members of such an economy, we have all been programmed to respond to the human differences between us with fear and loathing and to handle that difference in one of three ways: ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate…..As a result, those differences have been misnamed and misused in the service of separation and confusion” This basically gives me an understanding of why Esther reacted to the way she did. Her actions were indeed the way society has taught her to be. And the biggest issue that the human race face is that we choose to either ignore it or act upon it by manipulating instead of trying to reason with it or better understand. Her article has made a strong connection with the book “The Bell Jar.”

In “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, there is virtually no mention of race or at least the major races. Yes, Esther as her character is expressed, is very descriptive, detail oriented and is sometimes apt to mention other immigrants’ origin of birth. But in general it is not until she is committed to an asylum that we actually have Esther’s first-hand account of her interaction with someone not of her race. It is as though they are non-existent, not recognized or just not privy to Esther’s sphere of existence, reality or awareness. One can argue this is a stark example of Esther’s “white privilege.”

We all know Esther is not by any stretch of the imagination rich. She is envious of Doreen and the other females who are so privileged that they have matching pocket books for each outfit. Yet as economically challenged as she is, she is still able to “rub shoulders” with those higher up the economic ladder than her and seemingly avoid or ignore interaction with in particular those of African descent. One must ask themselves can Esther spend time in New York for an extended time in the 1950’s and not encounter or felt the need to mention any interaction or observations of people other than other Caucasian people.

During her brief encounter with seemingly non-white people, in her fast deteriorating mental state, she mentions that she has doubts as to their profession not only because of their age but having “suspicious, fake names (The Bell Jar,p202). To further exacerbate her seemingly only definable interaction with a “black person” and perhaps as a foreshadowing of changing times; she first remarks “ Usually it was shrunken old white men that brought our food, but today it was a Negro” so as to bolster my claim that she was not in regular contact with Negroes. Furthermore she goes on to eventually assault the seemingly innocent, hospital worker who was only doing his job, kicking him for no good reason (p205-206).What is somewhat strange is her comment afterwards, telling him “That’s what you get” (Plath p206). Was she taught that is the way to treat Negroes? In her state of mind it is hard to say one way or the other if she is racist or just plain mad and he just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As Audre Lorde mentioned in her article (Audrey Lorde: Age, Race, Class and Sex )on the complexities of assigning people narrow, confining labels, Esther is at many intersections, female, white, young, poor, educated, mentally unbalanced and God knows what else. So it is not easy to decipher her actions and place them in simplistic, binary categories

While I was reading fear by Laura Franks in the sidebar on page 51 of “Components of Gender” I saw that the way Laura decide to face her problem was by facing them straight forward. Laura is someone who has “refused to play gender games what I think that means is she is not going to follow the norm about how she should react to different stuff. What it has to do with fear is that she won’t let it control her she will overcome. You know when you go to amusement parks and you get on a ride and the first time your freak out but the more you ride it the less scary it becomes the fear you once had decreases each time you face it until it disappears completely. In Esther experience I believe that She faces discomfort when she does not properly perform the gender role that is expected of her by society. In the group of girls she feels like the odd one out the needle in the haystack. Esther has changed though the story from the past and present and has perform gender roles properly out of fear. In a flashback in my book on page 31 where we get a girl telling Esther she has a “male”visitor and when we get that she decides to comb her hair and put on some lipstick even take a book to make it look that she on my way to the library if it turned out to be somebody awful. In those lines we see how as a women she is expected to keep herself nice and neat even when meeting an unknown man. Esther cared what the unidentified man thought of her so she made herself presentable. Now in the present we have her saying “I hadn’t washed my hair for three weeks, either.”. Her reason being that is was silly to her to wash one day when she would only have to wash again the next day. Her past self is gone she doesn’t care about what society sets for her anymore she is going to do her and not care about anyone opinions any more.

Laura Franks, a women whom stands differently. She is tired of trying to fit into what society has constructed out for her, and most importantly she is tired of hiding herself from the fear of humiliation.

She refuses to play “gender games,” which we all know is the fine standard division between men and women. She states, “now I know what it feels like to be laughed at. It is frustrating, but not frightening.” Meaning, she knows the amount of humiliation that will be brought out to her by the public and her peers if she chooses to go against her gender role but, at the end of the day it wont be something “frightening” in other words, terrifying, tragic, or a sight not worth seeing.

Laura is able to brake through and indifferent herself from the rest of society/public and her peers. She gives herself/readers comfort with the statement, “broken bones don’t hurt forever.” Therefore, she is strong to her beliefs and with a new revolutionary it is however natural to have a bit of fear. Laura enhances readers her changeling breakthrough as a women.

In the book the Bell Jar, written by Sylvia Path, the narrator Esther is also living in the fear of humiliation. She states “if I ever get to Chicago, I might change my name to Elly Higgginbottom for good. Than nobody would know I had thrown up a scholarship at a big eastern women’s college and mucked up a month in New York and refused a perfectly solid medical student for a husband who would one day be a member of the AMA and earn pots of money. In Chicago, people would take me for what I was.” (pg.136 pdf) Esther is going through depression and figures by running away to Chicago all her problems will be solved. She doesn’t have to worry about anyone’s opinion and most importantly she no longer has to hide her real identity. She doesn’t eat or sleep for many days. Her in law sends her of to Dr. Gordon who is a psychiatrist and he later sends her of the shock institution. At this point Esther’s mom is now effected, she gets emotional about her daughters rout. Esther doesn’t properly perform the gender role that is expected of her because, she states “and, one day I might just marry a virile, but tender, garage mechanic and have a big cowy family, like Dodo Conway. (pg. 136 pdf) Like most typical girls who would rather have a man with good income and good status Esther is the opposite. She also refuses to play “gender games” just like Laura however Esther isn’t able to breakthrough yet.

     When Laura Franks says that she has “refused to play gender games” I think she means that even though in society they make it seem like you have to choose, you don’t. A lot of people don’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth or don’t identify with a gender at all and prefer pronouns such as they/theirs, it’s all about the persons perspective on their gender identity. I believe this has to do with fear because people fear not being accepted in society. Wether it has to do with the hate they may receive for not fitting into social norms and being themselves or just because people don’t agree with their view points when it comes to gender because they view things as simple as male or female depending on the genitalia of the person.

     Their are instances in The Bell Jar where Esther does or doesn’t conform to her gender expectations. One scene where she doesn’t comply with gender norms is when she mentions that she was still wearing Betsy’s clothes that now drooped because “[she] hadn’t washed them in [her] three weeks at home.” (Plath 127) Esther even goes further to mention that she “hadn’t washed [her] hair for three weeks, either.” (Plath 127) Usually when you think of a young woman, you think of them taking care of themselves and their personal hygiene. Its not like a young lady to not take care of themselves and let themselves go. This is a perfect example of not performing the gender role that is expected of her because this wouldn’t be acceptable to other people if they saw her or knew that she was behaving like this. At this point in the book Esther is falling deeper and deeper into a depression and her reasoning for behaving as such is that it seemed “silly to wash one day when [she] would only have to wash again the next.” (Plath 128) This isn’t reasonable thinking and it’s one of the first times that her falling into a depression is showing physically and can be noticed by others.

According to Laura Frank, fear is something that comes naturally when you experience something new for the first time. The fear becomes smaller once a person does it more over time. In her own, experience her fear comes from her personal hardships. She has faced humiliation and she has learned to overcome it. She has also chooses to go against stereotypical ideas of women when she says, “refused to play gender games in public”(Frank51). She has learned to live the remarks and the fear goes away over time. However, with Esther in the Bell Jar, she shows the clear and evident fear revolving around her gender role. Unlike Frank, Esther Greenwood has a more difficult time overcoming some of her fears. Her fear of her future and choices around gender roles are evident when she mentions the fig tree and its significance. “One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion” (Plath77). Each fig represents a potential future for Esther. She is excited about each one for her future. But she couldn’t decide which future she would chose. “I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest” (Plath77). She feared that if she chose one fig or option the others would become unavailable. Eventually the fear of losing all other option would force her to lose all future options. Even the fig wherein she has a husband and a home and a family, which most women at the time would have easily chosen.

 In the past women had to endure a lot of expectations placed on them by society. A society usually run by men that had almost impossible expectations. The passage about fear by Laura Franks from “Components of Gender”, proves that she is someone who doesn’t play by gender games. I think it  that means she doesn’t believe in the things that society wants her to believe in as a women. To study for jobs/ careers that don’t surpass men, to live for marriage, and to have the end goal to be a housewife. That has to do with fear, because in world/time like this women didn’t have many life choices. And in the eyes of men, they had complete power and say of a women’s life. For example in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, the main character Esther goes through a similar situation where she experiences fear and discomfort when she does not perform the gender role that is expected of her by society. Such as when she hung out with a young navy boy, and she thought saw Buddy’s mother. She did not want to appear like a promiscuous women, so she started to act like the young man was mistreating her (ch.10 pg 128). Esther felt uncomfortable when she felt she got caught with the navy man. Although when she was with the navy boy she felt society’s pressure to see the possibility of marriage and children with the man. Esther does not usually perform outside her gender role, and when she does it’s little things like a lot of eating, a lot of alcohol drinking, lack of make-up, and casual attire. Women throughout history have had to deal with so much pressure, specifically to marry and stay at home. To be “allowed” an education but couldn’t pursue careers without looking like a failure in the eyes of society for not choosing a life with a husband, house and kids. Fear, is what used to suppress women. Fear, is what kept them from thinking they had more choices and they could choose more than one.