Examining Sylvia Plath within the Framework o...

Examining Sylvia Plath within the Framework of Second-Wave Feminism by Analysing the Bell Jar

Author Name : Thungyani Ovung

ABSTRACT A significant aspect of American women's lives during the mid-twentieth century, especially for middle-class white women, revolved mostly around home affairs. Sylvia Plath, upon reaching adulthood, was influenced by the prevailing societal norms of her day. The poetry she creates is a direct consequence of engaging in intense debates with these inflexible structures, driven by a longing for different possibilities. Feminism aims to examine the asymmetrical power dynamics between women and men, to achieve a harmonious equilibrium between the two genders. It is seen as a manifestation of the feminist epoch. Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar provides a devastating examination of the difficulties encountered by women in the 1950s and aligns with the principles and anxieties of the second-wave feminist movement, which focuses on the dominance of patriarchy and male superiority. Moreover, the literature surpasses the temporal boundaries in which it was first produced and remains relevant as feminism and feminist theories evolve and advance via new "waves," such as the first wave of feminism. Therefore, to comprehend the substance and artistry of her body of work, it is imperative to examine the feminist movements that she was immersed in and actively contributing to, spanning approximately from 1952 to 1963. Since the 1970s, numerous feminist authors have made significant literary contributions by portraying an authentic representation of womanhood, and Plath is one such author who aligns with this category.