Sylvia's Social Satire Success
The Bell Jar is an excellent novel about coming-of-age and struggling with mental health, but it would be a shame to leave it at just that. To me, it has various other unseen virtues. For example, I found it to be rather darkly funny and an excellent use of satire. Throughout the book, it is abundantly clear that Esther finds society to be absurd and almost grotesque, and Plath does an impressive job of conveying this through Esther’s language and inner thoughts.
Probably one of the most, if not the most, targeted subject of Plath’s sharp humor is the set of norms and expectations laid out for Esther and other women of the time period. One example is how Esther perceives motherhood and the process of childbirth. Describing the delivery of a baby, she says: “The woman’s stomach stuck up so high I couldn’t see her face or the upper part of her body at all. She seemed to have nothing but an enormous spider-fat stomach and two little ugly spindly legs propped up in the high stirrups…” (Plath 65). For something often labeled a “miracle,” this is an outlandish and unsettling depiction. Even when the child is born, Esther describes the scene without any warmth, only feigning enthusiasm when prompted by Buddy. Though Esther’s language is harsh, it’s important to help us realize just how absurd Esther finds this whole situation. The fact that this moment is expected to be the culmination of women’s lives becomes ridiculous when it is described this way, even if Esther seems to be the only one around her who sees it that way.
Another example is when Esther decides to exercise her sexual freedom and lose her virginity. Throughout her time with Irwin, we see no love or desire on Esther’s end: she remains aloof and describes the whole encounter as if it were a mere science experiment. She takes some time to “[decide] to seduce him,” profiling him at length to see if he will be an effective man to help her achieve her goal (226). The whole thing is so utterly unromantic it’s almost laughable. Take her response when Irwin calls her back, asking to see her again:
“When am I going to see you?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Very much.”
“Never.”
It’s very clear Esther has one goal in mind: to shatter the idea that someone like Buddy can have as much sexual freedom as he likes, but women like Esther must stay “chaste” until marriage and children. And she shatters this idea very bluntly (and rather entertainingly).
Finally, probably one of the most perfect examples of Plath’s humor being used to highlight absurdity is Esther’s perception of Buddy Willard. I may be wrong, but I have yet to encounter a more effective way of deromanticizing sex and relationships than describing being reminded of “turkey neck and turkey gizzards” when a man undresses (Plath 69). To make matters worse, she immediately starts feeling depressed and uncomfortable. It’s clear from Buddy’s expectancy and Esther’s disappointment that there is a certain way that that encounter was supposed to go and a certain way that Esther was supposed to feel, and it’s critical to recognize just how wrong those assumptions were.
Overall, though it’s certainly beneficial to analyze this novel from a serious lens, considering the gravity of Esther’s mental health situation, it’s also helpful to analyze it from a satirical lens. Some of Plath’s most effective societal critiques come in the form of dark/grotesque jokes–which serve as powerful plot and structure devices in The Bell Jar. Who knew Sylvia Plath was so funny?
Hey Kruthi! I really liked this perspective on The Bell Jar. Your focus on the dark humor and satire adds so much depth to the way we understand Esther and Plath’s critique of society (the childbirth scene you chose is such a strong example). Overall, this was such a sharp analysis, and you did a fantastic job at showing how Plath’s dark humor contributes to the story!
ReplyDeleteHi Kruthi! I completely agree that Sylvia Plath's use of dark humor, although sometimes overshadowed by the theme of mental health, adds depth to Esther's character and is often used to make larger, societal critiques. One example I'd like to add is that of Dodo Conway. In class, we talked about how her character represents some sort of grotesque, exaggerated version of the American Dream. Dodo has six kids, another on the way, and seems to exist solely to bear children and be a mother. Similar to your example of Esther's perception of childbirth, the way in which Dodo's character is described poses a critique of traditional gender roles and motherhood. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHeya Kruthi! I think satire is a thing that can often be overlooked in more serious pieces of literature, and honestly I myself am not very good at picking up on it. I have gotten comments before on my writing that my satire was funny--best part? I didn't even realize I had written satire. Not that I didn't agree with my instructor--in fact, it was easy to see once it was pointed out to me. But not so obvious as I was writing. It was working undercover. Highlighting Plath's satirical voice therefore is very beneficial (as the people above me have aptly pointed out) to understanding the novel in a more complex and nuanced way. It adds layers, and perhaps it feels more real to us. Because, let's be honest, life is not simply a drama or a tragedy--it is often a very ironic comedy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are some really excellent examples of satire sprinkled throughout the book. While Esther's sense of disconnection from the world is disturbing during her mental health crisis, it also serves as the basis for her unique and brilliant sense of humor. I think Esther's dark humor serves to add depth to her personality and her issues. The lens through which she views the world often makes her miserable, but also allows her to make really funny and poignant observations about people and the world around her.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right Kruthi, Plath is absolutely hilarious. On a slightly off-topic note, Esther's descriptions of pregnant women and pregnancy have always been reminiscent of a growing trend(?) of "the miracle of life" and pregnancy depicted through a body horror lens in various mediums. (Some examples that come to mind are Bloodbourne, Silent Hill f, and Resident Evil: Village, which are horror games that you probably wouldn't know of, haha) But yeah, the absurdity of Plath's descriptions via Esther's character is super compelling and underrated, and serves as a great balance to the unsettling way that Esther views the world through "the belljar".
ReplyDeleteNice blog! It's really interesting how Plath uses satire in serious situations to deescalate the response to her fight against social norms. Especially in the childbirth scene, this indirect manner of shaming the level of importance put on childbirth comes off almost light hearted. If she had very plainly stated her opinion it might not have been as well received, since attacking a long standing norm, like the importance childbirth, wouldn't have exactly thrilled the readers in 1963. Instead, the satirical approach to push back against the importance of childbirth encourages the reader to look at childbirth in a new way without directly forcing a point of view onto them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! As I think I may have indicated at some point in pretty much EVERY class discussion on this novel, I believe Plath is highly underrated as a comedic writer, and her comedy is at its sharpest when she is satirizing something about society. Given the generally "dark" content of her work, and her reputation as a "sad" writer, it's like readers are unprepared to encounter her irony and wit--it feels sort of wrong to laugh at this book, given what the protagonist is going through. And often the humor intrudes at moments that are ALSO dark or serious in some way: the scene with Lenny and Doreen is, I'd say, both absurdly funny and satirical AND potentially quite serious and upsetting (as when Doreen begs Esther not to abandon her at Lenny's because he has these "muscles" and she "wouldn't have a chance if he tried anything funny," but then Esther dips out anyway). I also find moments in the "date" with Constantin to be funny, but also sad and forlorn. It is true that, faced with the sometimes daunting prospect of leading a class discussion on material like this, it sure helps if we can get a few laughs in the mix. I do sometimes worry that laughter can threaten to trivialize the dire seriousness of the material, and it's a bit of a tightrope walk. But I can't resist doing my dramatic readings of the scenes with Buddy, even if I have to make it through that turkey-gizzards reference without losing it completely.
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