The Notion of the "I" in Literature

Many authors anticipate the use of "I" in their works. Often, it helps them express their point to the reader. Sometimes though, writers want to talk about their personal issues but do not want to say it directly or reveal themselves. Therefore, they use the "I" in their work to hide behind it while putting across their point. David Sedaris and Sylvia Plath use "I" in their books in different ways, although some of the issues they wrote about are somewhat similar. Both of the authors wrote about the mental disorders that they had and how their lives were affected by them. Another topic that is discussed is the influence of their family members and friends on the writers.

In his book "Naked", David Sedaris describes his life and particularly, his obsessive disorders. As a child, he had obsessions about many things. For example, he would count steps from his school to his house, peppers and other things, he would make sure the kitchen appliances and objects on his desk were placed in the right order, he would lick and touch light bulbs, doorknobs and mailboxes, and so on. The character of the book is a young boy who is dealing with his mind, which tells him to do all those crazy things. There are also issues with his family members. For example, his father had a major effect on David Sedaris. He hates his father because of the way he treated his mother. Sedaris does not even want to talk to his dad because of that. The character of the book is David Sedaris himself. He uses "I" in the book to talk about his life and experiences. Sedaris uses "I" in the simple, direct way without hiding or changing his character. This is an example of an autobiographical use of "I."

Sylvia Plath wrote a book called "The Bell Jar." The character in this book, Esther Greenwood, is a talented, smart, brave and daring young woman who is suffering from a mental illness. Her insane mind is not letting her live a normal life. She struggles and eventually decides to end her life. After an attempt of suicide, Esther ends up in a mental institution. She was a gifted writer but when her illness started to take over her mind, she could not write, read or sleep anymore: "I hadn't slept for seven nights" (The Bell Jar, p.