1950s Societal Critiques: The Bell Jar and The Catcher in the Rye

Societal Currents in the 1950s:
The Critique of Social Issues in The Bell Jar and The Catcher in the Rye

In the 1950s, the era of censorship and conformity had begun; deviations from social norms and roles were frowned upon, and it was common for information to be concealed from the public for their own good, while those who suffered from illnesses outside the normal realm of medicine were labeled insane and hidden away. The Bell Jar focuses on the life of Esther Greenwood, a young woman who, while on summer break from college, succumbs to a deep depression and undergoes a variety of life-changing experiences, from her questionable treatments to the people that she encounters. The Catcher in the Rye, however, shows Holden Caulfield, a high

Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is infatuated with childish innocence, and seems determined to protect it. His concern for keeping children naïve and unaware of the problems of the world is well-intentioned and likely stems from his childhood confrontation with death, when his younger brother died tragically of leukemia; Holden was scarred by the suddenness of the experience, and wants other children to never suffer this fate. In fact, he wants to make it his mission in life to protect children from harsh realities. In a climactic scene, as Holden’s depression worsens and he decides he is going to leave, he is unbalanced by what he sees in his sister’s school. According to Holden, “somebody’d written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy,” and he tries repeatedly to scrub it off the wall (Salinger 201). In his state, he fixates on protecting children from seeing it, but is overwhelmed by how often he sees the word scrawled on the walls. This, rather than implying that Holden’s viewpoint is correct, actually points to his ideas being irrational and badly thought out. Due to Holden’s sheltered, privileged

People tend to write off mental illness as a choice, a voluntary mood as opposed to a medical condition; in the 1950s, this was even more common, as there were no methods to prove that depression was caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Plath shows this in a haunting manner when Esther’s mother says, “I knew you’d decide to be all right again” (Plath 146). It is made painfully obvious that mental health is not simply a choice, as Esther drives home in the rest of the passage, her suicidal tendencies worsening. Additionally, many people behave as though Esther is insane, and treat her as a spectacle to be observed rather than a victim of a damaging disease. Not only were societal attitudes toward mental illness deficient in sympathy and understanding, the treatment of depression is shown to be alarmingly inhumane in the post World War Two era. Dr. Gordon exemplifies the improper treatment of depression, by acting extremely uninterested and unprofessional during his sessions with Esther, only to decide after a few visits that she requires electroshock therapy. His failure to understand Esther’s struggle leads him to administer this therapy, and his incompetence is compounded as he performs the procedure incorrectly and leaves Esther with more emotional scars than she had before they met. Plath’s perspective highlights the damaging attitudes of the