The Bell Jar Plath

The Bell Jar is arguably one of the hallmarks of twentieth-century feminist literature. By illuminating the plight of the self-proclaimed neurotic Ester, Plath’s novel explores a poignantly crafted world of several complex and realistic women. However, the story’s feminist message leaves the modern reader in want of more than the “white feminism” that Plath serves. The only remarkably marginalized characteristics of Ester are that she is a woman and mentally-ill; otherwise, she is white, middle-class, and pretty. Plath’s work falls short in demonstrating a well-rounded and progressive message and does not deviate as drastically from societal norms as the works of more modern feminist writers, such as Gloria Anzaldúa or Sapphire. However,

Nolan. Save for the countless nameless nurses encountered in The Bell Jar, she is the only woman we see in the medical field – an astounding feat, considering how few women were even encouraged to enter medicine in the 1950s. Unlike Joan, Dr. Nolan’s association with the sciences does not appear to link her to masculinity. Rather, her character acts as a genuine twist on the doctor archetype that The Bell Jar has established through Dr. Gordon. As Ester’s first psychiatrist, Dr. Gordon is nothing like the person she feels can help her get back on her feet. He is conceited and artificial. When he asks what Ester thinks is wrong, she recognizes that he considers the root of her mental instability to be superficial: “That made it sound as if nothing was really wrong, I only thought it was wrong.” (130) To contrast, Dr. Nolan is a friend to Ester and connects to her on a deeply emotional level during her recovery. She understands Ester’s desire to not have visitors and, in the interest of her patient’s health, ensures that she has no more. She sympathizes with Ester’s fear of electroshock therapy and reassures her that when she enters treatment again, it will make her feel better – much unlike the fiasco of Ester’s shock therapy under Dr. Gordon. In this way, Dr. Nolan’s significance to The Bell Jar is in her relationship with the recovering Ester. As a woman in a scientific, male-dominated field, she epitomizes the role of women as empathizers and nurturers. One of the progressive steps that Plath’s novel takes, Dr. Nolan’s character demonstrates that imposition of a patriarchal division of men’s and women’s occupations can be disregarded – she is a mix of the two “spheres” established in the world of the novel. She is “male” by profession, but female by